Part 1: A Pre-Race Lesson
For almost a year now, I’ve been changing my thinking. I’ve poured over books learning about
happiness from people I’ve never heard of before to books written by some of
the best leaders of our time, such as the Dali Lama. Though said in many
different ways, every single author believed that though life is meant for
learning (and with that comes some growing pains), it’s meant to be happy.
Furthermore, good things are meant to happen to us if we are open enough to let
them come. This can seem like a crazy notion, but these writers and world
leaders are leading happy lives and making a difference. It’s a thought I
wanted to at least try believing in.
Of course this meant the Universe was going to give me an
opportunity to learn this in the most beautiful of ways!
A few months ago Sage and I got an email from one of our
awesome athletes saying he talked to the race directors of TNF Endurance
Challenge Costa Rica and they wanted us to come to the race. Immediately my
heart said yes and I was filled with excitement, but Sage had to make sure he
could fit it in his busy schedule. Luckily he could fit in the 50k, and I
excitedly but nervously signed up for the 80k. I knew my iron was super low
when I signed up, and even though I decided to see a doctor who specialized in
sports anemia, I knew it was unlikely I’d be feeling much better by the race. I
couldn’t pass up a great adventure though!!!
Shortly after signing up for the race my ego got a hold of
me and was clearly screaming “You don’t deserve to race in Costa Rica!!!”. I guess my ego figured it got that
initial message across and then proceeded to give me all the reasons on why I
didn’t deserve to go. With each
reason (and there were plenty) I pretty much felt myself sink deeper into a
pool of mud. Damn….My ego made some great points. I totally didn’t deserve to
go!
Luckily, a few months earlier when I was having much higher
thoughts, I wrote down an amazing quote by Marriane Williamson and hung it up
in my room. It was a true life saver when I finally looked at it! Here it
is:
(Totally feel free to replace God with whatever word works
with your beliefs!)
“Our deepest fear is not that we are
inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our
light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to
be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel
insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were
born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some
of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are
liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
“Well screw you ego! My happiness is meant to serve the
world! “ With those thoughts, I
felt a little lighter, a sure way to know that I was on my “right” path. Sure I
still felt a little undeserving at times, but I could get out of it pretty
quickly once I remembered the quote.
Part 2: Run like a Dog!
I’m an animal lover… especially a dog lover. Every time I see a dog I can’t help but
smile and get totally distracted. I also have a special place in my heart for
Australian Cattle dogs and there, right in front of me, was an adorable blue
healer! “Awwwww, she wants her tummy rubbed!” Around her were various running shoes
(humans attached) and she was laying right on the starting line. “Oh yeah! The
race is about to start!” All
nerves are gone though, and I keep my eye on the little dog to see if she’ll
start the race.
The race starts and I watch the dog happily run with the
crowd. She’s excited for the moment, doesn’t think about her pace, the rocks,
or the steepness of the hills. She’s just happy to be running outside. “Dog’s
know how to really run.” I thought. “Run like a dog” became my motto for the
day.
Having no clue how I’d be feeling (knowing my iron levels
probably weren’t up yet), my only race plan was to possibly take advantage of
the cooler morning air (it was still already quite hot, humid, and sunny at
5:30 am) and stay smart about eating and hydrating. I stayed behind two other women for the first 5k, letting my
body warm up and enjoying the start. Right after 5k there was a slight downhill
and I let gravity do the work as I ran past smoke coming from the hot pools of
water. I moved into the lead and never knew how far back anyone was after that.
From there I began my climb to the highest point of the
race. Holy Cow! I did not look at the elevation map or course profile very
well!
I thought the whole course
was pretty runable and there I was hands on knees hiking up a long, technical,
and very steep grade.
It was a
beautiful section of trail! “Run like a dog”- well hike like a dog. I went up
and up through wet leaves, mossy rocks, and roots having a blast and having
fond memories of Grindstone 100 (though I was super happy to be doing this in
the light- Grindstone starts at 6pm so lots of night running!)) and rotated
between a slow run and
a power
hike.
There were also some steep
down hills in and the mix and since everything was wet I spent every few steps
saving myself from a slip or slight trip my clumsy feet caused me.
It probably didn’t help I was
constantly distracted from the loud sound coming from the forest (howler
monkeys, perhaps?), but it sure was entertaining!
After having popped out of the lush forest it was time to
bring on the sun and heat! For the
next 20 or so miles (I’m really just throwing that number out there since I
barely looked at my watch) I’d be in the desert or on dirt roads without any
shade. It was fun to experience this side of Costa Rica I didn’t know about. I
ran on beautiful white rocky ground and had some great views that allowed me to
see for miles. I clicked off some miles at a decent “ultra” pace, and embraced
the sun. Mentally, I could handle the high humidity and above 90 degree temps,
but my stomach wasn’t a huge fan.
I tried to be really careful with my electrolyte intake, but it didn’t
seem to be working. I was hot, my stomach was off, and my pace slowed considerably
from miles 20-30. I did a lot of hiking up hills that I should have been
running. I was sure I’d be passed at any moment.
I got to the 30 mile aid station feeling really crummy, yet
I maintained my routine of stopping to put ice in my water bottle and my sports
bra (I was thankful to be a woman and have a sports bra to put ice in that
day!) and carried on. A couple minutes later my stomach hurt too much to run,
but thankfully I started puking and after a couple of minutes my stomach was
much happier. I could run again!!! Unfortunately I could barely eat and relied
on two Hammer espresso gels and some ginger ale to give me the energy to make
it the last 20 miles.
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| I may have puked right after this aid station. |
The main things that I can really remember the last 20 miles
was running as much as I could and doing anything to keep myself cool. I was hurting from the calorie deficit,
but I kept on remembering my mantra of “run like a dog” and found as much joy
from running as possible at that moment. The last few kilometers were all slightly uphill but I
mentally felt good and was ready to run most of it. Less than a mile from the
finish I stayed true to my clumsy ways and fell on the smoothest section of
trail there was, covering most of my side in dirt and a few scratches. Honestly-
I was kind of thankful for the bit of adrenaline that came with it! So covered in dirt I made my way to the
finishing chute and was greeted with the loudest cheer I have ever gotten
during an ultra. It was a blast
and nice to come in first at such an awesome event.
Part 3: Pura Vida!
Pura Vida simply translates to “Pure Life” in English, but it obvious through the people we met in Costa Rica that this country’s motto means much, much more. To me, it serves as a reminder to live in the present and make the most out of it. I think the world would be a better place if more cultures adopted this way of life.
I think one thing that made the trip and race so wonderful is that the race itself and the people who were part of it beautifully showed me what Pura Vida really meant. The joy and enthusiasm for coming together to run on beautiful trails was contagious.
From the rain forest to the desert to the beach, Costa Rica is a beautiful country and I can’t wait to go back!
Special thanks to the race directors Federico and Ligia. They’re great race directors and even better people. It was truly an honor to take part in their event. I also really appreciate that their business Ecogreen works to help the environment and reduce waste at their events- pretty cool!
Pura Vida!
Sandi
Thanks Sage for the following photos:
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| (Sage's beer of course!) |
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| For the entire week I got to have every meal outside! |
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| Zip Lining! (Conveniently done at the race hotel!) |
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| Pool at Hotel Hacienda (race hotel) |
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| Shake out run on the course. |
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| Beach in Tamarindo |
What I used for the race:
