Mind Over Matter
Editor's Note: The following is the dispatch for day three, which somehow didn't get to us until now. Read on to learn how Terri battled her mental demons.
Day 2 - night - Sand Storm!
The tent started to come down and we could barely see to get it staked in again in the horrendous wind. Waves of sand blew under the tent sides and through the door blanketing us, our gear, food, nerves. I would roll over onto my back and feel several cups of sand slide off my back onto my sleeping bag. After a sleepless night I looked around at my tentmates. They appeared to be buried alive in sand. None to little sleep for a few nights and the storm and heat aren't helping.
The good news is I won't need suncreen for Day 3 as a layer of sand dust coat my body, face and hair. Happy to get running - seems the better option than lying around in misery.
Terri crossing the finish line with the US Flag...
Photo by Chris Lusher / Racing the Planet.
Day 3
Distance: 32K
Total elevation gain: 804 feet
Temp: 115-120 F
I'm starting to settle into the routine. Organize, run, survive heat, eat, drink, sleep. Do it again. That is one side to the dicotomous personality of an event of this nature. The second side, the complex side, is the internal negotiation that ensues when we run.
I am of the belief that ultra athletes should be spending a significant amount of time thinking about and executing proper care of their body while racing. What to eat, drink, when, electrolytes, recovery drinks, pace, efficiency in aid stations. All the while drawing on toughness, patience and endurance - like a steady drip of mental positives to nurture the mind.
The body doesn't want to do this. The mind must step in to prod the body forward. This flow to the mind can't stop - ever - throughout the event. Success involves a steady prevailing soul strength. The body waits for a weakness to allow it to slow - the mind can't allow for it. The negotiation is fascinating. Sometimes I cope by stepping away from myself and watching it all happen from afar. That visual keeps me in it while taking a "break" at the same time. This is some crazy mental shit - this race is forcing me to pull out all the stops...
This race is really no different in its mental complexity than others except I notice a background noise of fear when I'm out there running solo. When the sun hits full force I feel really alone in a scary sort of way - like if I stopped running or got lost I would die. So pressing on becomes part of the internal conversation - not for speed or for the sake of the race, but for survival.
I've had 7 liters of fluid since I've stopped running and I haven't peed since before we started running today. I'm determined to pee before I hit the sleeping bag. I'm allowing myself one 500 ml bottle of water to use for washing myself. I pour it over my head in a makeshift shower, then I brush my teeth and feel like a new women. Cheap thrills.
A little depleted and blistered today but I held steady and strong. The struggle feels affirming - life giving. This basic way of life makes more sense than suicide bombings, political mistrust, and the box society places us in. This primitive kind of existence is keeping it real for sure. I feel privileged to be here.
The scenery continues to astound in it's simplistic beauty.
Back at you tomorrow.
xoxo Terri
Day 2 - night - Sand Storm!
The tent started to come down and we could barely see to get it staked in again in the horrendous wind. Waves of sand blew under the tent sides and through the door blanketing us, our gear, food, nerves. I would roll over onto my back and feel several cups of sand slide off my back onto my sleeping bag. After a sleepless night I looked around at my tentmates. They appeared to be buried alive in sand. None to little sleep for a few nights and the storm and heat aren't helping.
The good news is I won't need suncreen for Day 3 as a layer of sand dust coat my body, face and hair. Happy to get running - seems the better option than lying around in misery.
Terri crossing the finish line with the US Flag...
Photo by Chris Lusher / Racing the Planet.
Day 3
Distance: 32K
Total elevation gain: 804 feet
Temp: 115-120 F
I'm starting to settle into the routine. Organize, run, survive heat, eat, drink, sleep. Do it again. That is one side to the dicotomous personality of an event of this nature. The second side, the complex side, is the internal negotiation that ensues when we run.
I am of the belief that ultra athletes should be spending a significant amount of time thinking about and executing proper care of their body while racing. What to eat, drink, when, electrolytes, recovery drinks, pace, efficiency in aid stations. All the while drawing on toughness, patience and endurance - like a steady drip of mental positives to nurture the mind.
The body doesn't want to do this. The mind must step in to prod the body forward. This flow to the mind can't stop - ever - throughout the event. Success involves a steady prevailing soul strength. The body waits for a weakness to allow it to slow - the mind can't allow for it. The negotiation is fascinating. Sometimes I cope by stepping away from myself and watching it all happen from afar. That visual keeps me in it while taking a "break" at the same time. This is some crazy mental shit - this race is forcing me to pull out all the stops...
This race is really no different in its mental complexity than others except I notice a background noise of fear when I'm out there running solo. When the sun hits full force I feel really alone in a scary sort of way - like if I stopped running or got lost I would die. So pressing on becomes part of the internal conversation - not for speed or for the sake of the race, but for survival.
I've had 7 liters of fluid since I've stopped running and I haven't peed since before we started running today. I'm determined to pee before I hit the sleeping bag. I'm allowing myself one 500 ml bottle of water to use for washing myself. I pour it over my head in a makeshift shower, then I brush my teeth and feel like a new women. Cheap thrills.
A little depleted and blistered today but I held steady and strong. The struggle feels affirming - life giving. This basic way of life makes more sense than suicide bombings, political mistrust, and the box society places us in. This primitive kind of existence is keeping it real for sure. I feel privileged to be here.
The scenery continues to astound in it's simplistic beauty.
Back at you tomorrow.
xoxo Terri
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