26 OCT 2017

Today it feels like we are really sliding into winter.  It's not particularly cold yet but it is cloudy and breezy.  Just outside my apartment window is a small, bare tree, so quiet and unassuming when just two weeks ago it was aglow in vibrant color.  A cold front looms for this evening, threatening a touch of snow and bitterly cold temperatures.

With my Spartan racing season over for now, I am entertaining the idea of Leadwoman next year.  Well, Leadwoman PLUS a few other races.  It's ambitious but I think I have been setting ambitious goals (or general directions) for most of my life.  In my life I have become a sort of renaissance woman and I think it's just a natural fit for me.  This does not mean I cannot focus or excel in one area, only that I have a deep desire to broaden my perspective and skills.  The challenge of Leadwoman next year would be to #1 finish, and #2 finish gracefully.  Completing the series gracefully is a pretty subjective idea, but for me I think my goal is always to have compassion for myself and others, to treat my body with kindness even as I pursue difficult athletic endeavors, and to remain open and honest about the process.

Speaking of racing gracefully, the Spartan World Championships was my most recent attempt at this.  Overall I think it went well.  I went into the race with that common, nagging feeling that I wish I had trained a little better.  But this time around it wasn't poor planning or laziness so much as me taking care of other important aspects of life...like my family for example.  I went into the race knowing pretty well my weaknesses but felt if I ran a smart race I could finish reasonably well.  At the West Virginia Beast back in August, I finished 21st in one of the Championship Series races.  This at least meant that most of the best racers would be there (all of the Spartan pro team) as well as top Spartans who were not on the pro team.  I ran WV super conservatively after having completed a 50-miler just 7-days prior.  Knowing my body as I do, I figured that if I ran hard but smart, I would achieve a similar place at the world championships.  I would run faster without that whole 50-miler under my legs but on the "world stage" I would have more high-level contenders.

That's exactly what happened.  No regrets, no disappointment.  The day before the race I looked at the course map and noticed that although many trails and roads would be the same as years prior, the course itself was reconfigured to be longer and with slightly more climbing.  I remember thinking to myself...if I fail some obstacles and do >100 burpees (highly likely), this will probably take me about 4 hours to complete.  Come race day I finished in 4:01.  Without a watch or anyway of knowing how much time was passing during the race.  Too bad I can't make a living off predicting time like that.  The interesting thing about these calculations is that they are performed by my intuitive mind.  I am not doing any conscious math regarding my average Spartan "race pace" which has to factor in obstacles, etc.  This was just me literally staring at the map, the mileage, the route, the obstacles, the elevation chart and then blurting, "I'm guessing about 4 hours!"  That's not the first time I have made such calculations.  If it were, I would simply assume it by chance...

I had planned to race in the Dallas Team competition this weekend with the All-Army team but Spartan cancelled the team race due to lack of participation.  I was thinking maybe I might go to Iceland for the 24-hr Championships, and while I still haven't heard back from Liam if Spartan will sponsor us or not, I am not counting on it.  For now I am just staying in reasonably good shape and will wait and see.

Certainly more news to come later but I still need to eat breakfast and consider booking rooms for Leadwoman.  Peace to you all.