Overnight Hiking

Friday morning.  I totally slept in.  Well kind of.  First I was up and got the girls all ready for school dressed as Christmas trees (long story), then watched as the bus picked them up.  I then proceeded to climb the stairs and crawl back into bed and snooze till 10am.  I cannot recall the last time I did such an unthinkable act.  You may think this was totally unplanned...however not really.  It was as planned as the previous day when I crawled back into bed until 9am...only to be pulled out of bed to attend to work....lol.  I know this is sounding really absurd at this point...getting up to go to work???  But let me explain.

On Saturday evening around 7pm I, along with two other fabulous peeps will be starting a 12 hour overnight hike through the woods.  Except that it really isn't just a hike.  It's training.  Training for the 2012 Spartan Death Race.

We will start with an easy loop that will take about 45 minutes.  This will give us a feel for the landscape...in the dark.  When we make it back to the parking lot, there will be some burpees and sledgehammer-to-tire rounds before heading out again.  Our friend John Waite (the experienced Death Racer) has put together a number of challenges as we loop around again and again through the night.  From what I understand there will be some pails of water, tires, sandbags and puzzles.  I love the idea of the puzzle component as a measure of our brain power as we become weary through the night.  I am interested to see how I hold up to this.  I think I will fair well.  But we will see....

Having participated as a crew member at the 2011 Death Race the one component that was very apparent through out was the mental challenges.  How the coordinators played with the participants minds, each individually.  Just seeing how far each would go.  How far could they push them.  What they were willing to do.  How could they break the next person....

Anyhow the last time I hiked through the night was two years ago and went a total of 80kms....not all in the dark...however I do recall we slowed down considerably once the sun went down.  Noises play tricks on your senses.  The major difference.  It was July not December.  I was only carrying water and food.  There were no burpees involved.

So back to the sleeping in thing...I am trying to prepare my body somewhat for the sleep deprivation this coming Saturday evening.  I am attempting to get some real satisfaction out of the warm, fluffy, heavenly duvets and the dry heat of our furnace.  Because if I know John even a little bit, I'm sure there will be no resting, no dry clothes and no time to warm up until Sunday morning when I return back home.

195 days to go!!!

X J

Why......?

So many people have posed this very simple question about many things in life.  Having heard it a lot in the past 3 months, it has recently really made me ponder...the "whys"

"Why did this happen?", "Why didn't that happen?", "Why did it happen to her?  Them?  Me?".  Going hand in hand with that is "What if?"....now that one can send you down a really winding, twisted, maddening path of "seconds", "minutes", "different routes"....man WHAT IF?

So having decided to challenge myself to the Spartan Death Race 2012.  I have been given the opportunity to discuss the many reasons "why" I would do something so "stupid", "crazy" and "insane".

Well to begin with I don't think of it for a minute as stupid, crazy or insane.  I am proud that I can even consider this race.  I am proud that I have my health, fitness and mental wits about me to attempt it (ok well the mental wits piece may be up for discussion).  But really, there are so many out people out there that don't.  and what about those out there that can't...(I've heard the saying... those who say "I can't" are really saying "I won't") and yes I do believe that is the case a lot of the time...but there are really people that can't physically for a number of reasons.  So today, I am adding to my whys.  Today I will add that one of my "whys" is for those out there that I know who really can't climb a rocky pathed mountain, or drag their ass under barbed wire through mud....for that matter are laying in a hospital bed recovering from unimaginable injury that will affect them for the rest of their lives.  Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally...forever....I will race for them.  With them.

Why not?  That's what a lot of people have been getting from me lately...mostly because I often get onto a topic and babble for a really long time and them I come to realize that I have totally lost someone...so "Why Not" is working.  It's funny too the reaction I get from that.  Most recently:

Friend: So why are you doing this race?

Me: Why Not?

Friend: Oh well...ummmm...I guess I never really thought of that?  Why Not?

Me: Exactly!  Why Not!

Life is AWESOME!!!  I am blessed!  And I am doing this race BECAUSE I CAN!  Besides...Why Not?

203 days to go!!!

X J

p.s. ~ I am planning on some cold water training....very soon...before the lake freezes...and I totally chicken out!!!

Death Race Essay

So in order to participate in the Spartan Death Race they require you to submit an essay on why you want to participate in the Death Race.  This was easy...yet hard for me.  Easy in the sense that there are so many "whys".  Hard because you need to narrow done.  I won't bore you with the details of it, but will share this snippet...

"I know what I have done and what I can do.  But what is left?  What is the unthinkable?  What would push me beyond those boundaries of the mind?  Can the Death Race find that one ultimate obstacle?"


In the 2011 race 155 athletes started and only 35 finished.  Really not very good odds...  


One of my best qualities is my determination.  So today I announce that I am determined to be one of those finishers in 2012. 


Let it begin...


218 days to go


J

DEATH RACE 2012

Ok, so it's been a little while since I've been here and updated how AWESOME life is!  However, I now have some new AWESOME motivation in live to get my ass out there and be active in the future of my health and who I really am (way down deep inside).

Today I registered for the 2012 Spartan Death Race.

In case you haven't heard of this I am attaching the link to the website www.youmaydie.com  Yes you read that right...youmaydie...Most races have lengthy waiver forms that you have to read (if you do that sort of thing) and then sign. The Spartan Death Race coordinators have made it really simple and pretty damn clear cut if you ask me.  You May Die.

Thanks goes to John Waite for participating last year and letting me be a part of his AWESOME crew and experiencing an energy that I had never experienced prior.  Thank you to my unbelievable support crew at home Cam, Daisy & Zoe.  That are at the very top of a very long list of "whys".  Cam has committed to be my drill sargeant (as long as that doesn't entail him having to train with me).  We will tell the girls tonight and I have no doubt that they will officially become my loudest cheerleaders (which I am welcoming with a huge heart).

As of today there are 219 days to event start and Day one of training...

Keep checking in to see where I'm at and if you're interested in joining the AWESOME support crew that will be travelling down to Vermont in June let me know.

Patty Anderson - I fully expect to receive many obscene comments about this venture and I want you to know that I welcome and encourage them.  You have no idea how much you make me laugh from the belly with them and that makes you truly AWESOME to me!!!

x J

www.youmaydie.com