A view of one of the climbs and descents from Lost Soul
7 Days......
Yes, 7 Days....
....That is how long until I am a virgin no more, this time next week I will be over 8 hours into my first 100 mile ultra marathon. Of course, I couldn't of picked a easy one either, Lost Soul 100 miler is considered one of the toughest races on the prairies. I laugh at this, as most people consider the prairies flat, well this run is not flat, there are over 17,000 ft of elevation change over the 100 miles. Here is the elevation grid for each lap of the run, remember 100 miles is 3 laps, that last climb to the finish is going to be a killer, not withstanding the rest of the climbs and descents.
Can we say a lots of up's and down's, I knew you could
A shot of the train bridge that we will be running by
I am looking forward to seeing this waterfall, one of the great things with running ultras, mother nature at its best.
Am I looking forward to this?
Well that is a stupid question, of course I am.
Am I ready to take on this distance?
As ready as I am ever going to be, I have played through this in my head a 'Hundred' times mile by mile for the last 3 weeks. I will be running this race first on strength, then heart (or passion) and then finally on guts and determination. I am sure I will want to quit numerous times throughout the run, but I am a stubborn son-of-a-bitch (no offence mom), and I just will not allow myself to do that. I am expecting to experience pain, lots of pain, hallucinations, serious fatigue and doubt in my abilities, and more pain. But I will persevere, because I believe I have found my bliss, running long and far and pushing my body to the limit and then seeing how much farther I can push it. It will be a test of wills, my brain saying, "Go on you can do it, you are a rock" while my body tells me, "Are you bloody well insane, I've got nothing left". It will be a battle, that is for sure, but I am determined to push myself through to the end. Besides, I will not be alone, a good friend will be with me, Scott Burton, another 100 miler virgin (yes we travel in groups), together we will be pushing each other along and motivating each other to finish.
Am I insane?
Yes, yes I am, everybody who I talk to thinks so, and maybe they are right. We will just have to see how that turns out.
Am I going to run it barefoot?
YES, for as long as I possibly can. Will my feet survive? I honestly do not know, I ran up and down Mount Hamel including the summit barefoot (oops, teaser from my future CDR blog post), so I know my soles can handle it, but for 100 miles? That I do not know, and is yet to be seen. Will I be the first to complete a 100 mile Ultra barefoot? That I am not sure about, there must be others out there, but I do know if I do complete it barefoot, I will be in the minority, one of the few to overcome and conquer the distance and barefoot to boot (pun intended).
I have been giddy with excitement, ready to boil over at the seams as I have been counting down the days to this point. I have been so engrossed with this run that I haven't even posted a new blog since before the Canadian Death Race, which I have still yet to complete and post, and yes that was epic and the story will be told, but it will be a little later.
So here I am, sitting and counting the days until next Thursday when I board the plane for Alberta and the new adventure that I am partaking in. I have a lot of nervous energy right now, most would probably say I should be tapering and resting but I cannot seem to do that. I have been running everyday for the last 20 days and have only missed one or two days in the last 200 plus days. I have been running in the heat of the day, at night in the dark with no headlamp, going out when I am tired and not sure if I have the energy to make it down the front stairs, running our husky so she pulls me and makes me speed up when I don't want to and slow down as well. Prepping for any possibility is very important as I do not have any idea what is going to happen or how my body will react to this. My last thoughts are..............
Get 'Er Done.......
Thanks for the teaser you bum! It's like you know I'm sitting here waiting to hear/see everything about that amazing experience for you guys. Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest.....insanity aside (and by the way..that is what I like about you), I actually started to bubble over with excitement as I was reading this blog post. I can feel your nervous energy, I can feel that you've tried to prepare yourself for who knows what? and I can feel that you are going to totally Get 'Er Done. You are ready my friend. Rest up, Eat up and ROCK IT!
ReplyDeleteWill not be to much longer Wendy I promise, it was such an amazing experience, I wanted to give it, it's proper due. I have been to entrenched in Lost Soul for the last few weeks to concentrate on writing.
DeleteWow... so exciting! I can't wait to hear the race report... I know you'll give it heck! good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeff, I just hope it does not give me heck.
DeleteBob, Your post is of full of nervous energy and excitement. I sense the emotion and the exhilaration. You ask if you are insane and of course the answer is yes! It's a good insane though, it's the insanity of wanting to be the best you can be, the insanity of wanting to cross the thin line to uncharted territory, the insanity of running counterclockwise when everyone else run clockwise. That is who you are, that is what you are, that is what you will become at the finish line. You are an individual. I admire your grit and your determination. You are an awesome runner and you will achieve this goal. I know you and I know how far you have come, and I know your potential. I admire you and I respect you. Now go... on, on, on. It's a good day to be alive. With admiration, M
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike, I appreciate the words of encouragement, your blog has always been a inspiration to me once I started this running journey a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteGood luck at the Lost Soul! It's a great race (I ran it last year). Great aid stations, great course, and great people. It is tough, but you already know that. I didn't see anyone running it barefoot last year, but there were some people running it with minimalist shoes.
ReplyDeleteIf you have any questions about the race itself, let me know. Looking forward to the race recap!
Thanks Jesse, I might just take you up on that.
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