Pre-Deathrace Thoughts...

Wow! What a fun and amazing adventure this has been!
The past year has all lead up to this moment. Canadian Deathrace (CDR) in Grande Cache, AB Canada. 125 KM that pass through 3 mountain summits with over 17000 feet in elevation change, crossing a major river.
From the moment my brother in law Matt crossed the finish line in 2013 as a soloist at CDR my planning and training began. I knew that if he finished Deathrace, that I too, could try to solo this incredible and challenging 125 km race.
I think the most difficult, and nerve racking part of my journey was actually signing up. I had it marked on my calendar for months. January 23. Registration opens for Solo racers. I was so scared and so nervous. I had rolled my ankle the previous year at Sinister 7 and had not yet fully healed from that. And also, the previous year, I had a foot injury from running in the winter. Could I really do this?!?! Me, the chubby kid from Sparwood, BC that started running just 6 years ago??? In my mind I thought I could, but I felt that my body was telling me otherwise.
I started seeing a new chiropractor that does Active Release Therapy (ART) at the beginning of January, and it is him that I have to thank for giving me the courage to train, and to sign up for CDR.
Dr Luke convinced me that I actually could fix these problems that I had been having. My ankle pain, my knee pain, my hip pain. This could all be fixed with proper treatment and training. And he was right! So, Dr. Luke and my friend Jay (also a CDR soloist and Sin 7 soloist) became my "unofficial running coaches".
My real journey began on January 23, 2014 at 1000 when registration opened. This meant I was committed! Not only would I have my pride to worry about, but also my $350 registration fee.
I wanted to do this! But, just because I wanted to this, doesn't mean it would be easy. The other large credit goes to my very supportive family! Without the support and love from my husband (Chris) and my kids (Nathan and Nolan) I would not have been able to train as much as I did. It is with the support of my family and the advice from my brother in law, my chiropractor and my friend Jay that I was able to train as I did.
The first thing I did was sign up for a marathon training clinic. This got me out running on Sundays, even in the snow and the cold. I finished my long runs, no matter how much snow and freezing temperatures there were this past year! I did run on the treadmill a couple of times, but I actually learned to enjoy running outside in the winter.
The other thing I did was sign up for long distance runs, such as Woody's Marathon, Blackfoot Ultra and Deathrace Training Camp. These 3 alone gave me well over 225km in 3 weeks. I also signed up for Rundles Revenge 50K and Sister 7 as a team of 3 with my sisters husband and my friend Robyn, where I would be running 68Km. You see, I have learned, that if I sign up for it, I will do it. And I will do everything in my power to train and finish! It also meant that I would have some long runs under my belt before Deathrace came along on August long weekend.
I survived! My journey leading up to Deathrace, I survived! Part of the goal as an Ultra runner is to remain injury free. And I survived. I had a couple of scares along the way, such a pulled IT band, and ankle and knee pain, but overall, nothing too serious.
SO, I feel nervous, excited and scared $hitless, but here I go...