#1 Big Challenge of 2019 Complete

It has been a week since my Sinister 7 journey and after having the time to reflect and process the weekend, I am finally finding a moment to sit down and write a few words.
If asked my opinion I would say I definitively got to run the best part of the race. It was wet, yup, muddy, oh ya, hard and challenging, you betcha baby but a 15 hours that was more beautiful and awe striking than I can ever put into words. In running leg 5,6 and 7 I got to see the beauty of every part of the day.
Starting leg 5 about 9:40pm we had a short time without headlamps with lightening lighting up the evening sky and the sound of thunder in the distance with mountains silloetted in the background, absolute awe struck! Darkness quickly fell upon us only to reveal a sky full of stars with a sliver of a moon that made me just stop and drink in the complete quietness and peace with the smell of nature all around. This girl just had to stop several times, turn off the light and pinch herself to prove that yup this moment is real.
Then came the breaking of dawn and the awakening of the forest. To go from complete quiet to first one bird chirping and gradually having many others join in to create music of its own was incredible, and let me tell you I completely understand the saying now ‘up with the birds’ cause they are up early starting between 4:30-5:00 am.
I then caught myself in amazement at the complete quietness and solitude of the section leading up to the summit, with a perspective of Crowsnest Mountain and the seven sisters that will stay in my memory and heart forever, but I was pushed with an unexplained motivation to reach that summit at just the right moment. As Brandon and I sat planning and preparing days before looking at maps and where we hoped to be at different times, my goal and hope was to summit the ridge at sunrise. Let me tell you, I was determined to witness what I can only say was truly an indescribable moment. As we pushed on racing the sun to the summit I cannot explain the absolute awesomeness and gratefulness for that moment that made me want to cry. As I told a friend of mine later, the best way to explain was that I felt so close to God and filled with pure joy that one could only understand if they were standing beside me at that moment (Even though Brandon was standing with me, he was not in the mood to agree with me at that point). 🙊
As we descended the summit and started doing the math of pace and time we had lit a fire under our feet as it was going to be tight to finish. Trail conditions and lack of sleep were playing a pretty big role and we needed to decide whether to chase that cut off or go with the flow, chase we did. We came into 6/7 transition to our crew waiting tired and patient,handed them our jackets and headlamps, grabbed watermelon and ran right through on a mission to cross the finish line.
Leg 7 found us rejuvenated, well as much as possible, but with a new determination and knowledge that we could make it. Add a couple extra km’s for a wrong turn, my bad, which only made us run a little faster once back on the trail, we came in faster than our crew expected and crossed that line with 35 min to spare 🤗
To say that I truly enjoyed each moment is an understatement. Each runner at events like this come with their own purpose. Mine is clearly not to race against another but to race against myself and the voice that says you can’t do this! I want to celebrate life and experience moments that few are fortunate to be a part of. I want to be better today than I was yesterday and not just physically.
It is not lost on me how fortunate I am to have family and friends who not only run with, wash feet and fill bladders and cheer from close and afar and add to those the grandma who babysits our furry family member after unexpected surgery. Goals like these cannot be done alone with the same results. Darcy and Kayden, you guys rock!! To be staying up all night with lawn chairs, food and a fire waiting and to baby us like we were at a spa of sorts is a whole other kind of hard. Love you guys and can’t thank you enough. And to Brandon, thank you for allowing your old, short legged mother to be a part of this with you. To witness first hand the ups and downs step by step in such a huge accomplish was a privilege. To have the opportunity to experience moments like this with our children is a gift and one I am so grateful to have, even if it may be for being bear bait 😉.
Yes my description may seem sappy and cheesy but don’t knock it till you try it. To be given the opportunity, to have the physical capability, to have the love and support around you and the heart and determination to take on a challenge such as this will take you to unexpected places. You will be tested and challenged and be amazed by what your body can do and you will be rewarded with experiences and memories that you only hope everyone in life will get to experience in some way. You will learn lessons hard and beautiful and will be changed, hopefully for the better, this is up to you.
I have learned many lessons that will help me in my next endeavour, from dressing for night to food and hydration in cooler temps and to how not to wear hair, a cap and headlight and it is with all these lessons that I feel more confident come deathrace this August long weekend! Go death racers!!!!🤗

Bad Run = Great Run

A bad run is a great run! Yup, doesn’t make much sense at first glance, however, if you stop to think on it, it makes perfect sense.

It means I didn’t sit on the couch watching TV

It means I didn’t make an excuse

It means I strapped on my shoes when I least felt like it

It means I challenged and pushed myself

It means my goals have meaning to me

It means I want to succeed

It means I want to be better today than I was yesterday

It means I ignored the voice discouraging me

It means I believe I am capable

It means I learnt something new today

It means I did not quit!

Conditions were less than ideal, I felt unrested, my knee needed persuasion, I ran with a pack of kleenexes because of snow molds and dust and I didn’t go as long and as far as planned the night before.  However, from another angle, the sun was shining, the birds singing, I am able and in pursuit of a goal important to me and for that and much more, I am grateful. All this put together makes for a great run!

As the saying goes, ‘the summits mean little without the valleys.’

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Setbacks Are Gifts

Years ago in my kung fu training I had been told that injuries and setbacks are a gift. I’m not going to lie, at that moment I thought the statement was half cracked and the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for me to not only understand but to completely agree.

Now it’s not that I look forward to or hope for setbacks and injuries, but I have changed my attitude toward them. I have started to accept them to a certain degree, but at the same time not give into them and use them as an excuse to become dormant or give up on my goals. I have learned that most times it is my body telling me something, it tried the more subtle approach but because I didn’t listen, it decided it needed a more aggressive tactic.

I have learned that when circumstances don’t allow you to train in one area, there is an opportunity to work on others. So often we look at, let’s say running for example, and have a too narrow focus of what that training may look like. We see only the Kms we’ve run as being productive and beneficial . I believe we do ourselves a real dis service with this approach. As with anything, there are so many pieces to running and complimenting ones training and preparation that may not even include time on your feet. I have learned the huge huge value of cross training, core work, mental preparation and am now finding myself digging deeper in my research with nutrition and hydration. Let me tell you, there is a science to this stuff, the working of the body is amazing and better understanding it can only better prepare each of us, regardless of our goals.

So why limit and discourage ourselves? Can we not benefit with a more open minded and broader approach? Is there not a multitude of different ways to accomplish any one goal or task? Yes, some may be more efficient or easier, but what works for one will not necessarily work for another. Look deeper and more thoughtfully at your goals. Pick ones that mean something to you personally and have a plan, one that looks at all angles with a broader vision that allows you to look for opportunities in directions you may not have considered. Although you may not wish for setbacks or injuries, prepare yourselves for obstacles, as you will probably encounter your share, as the pursuit of great things does not usually come easily.  As the Yellow Runner said “Celebrate the struggle. Part of the greatest joy you’ll find in the process is realizing just how strong you.”

A New Year, A New Path

In my kung fu training, I have for the most part of 7 years, been a part of a team which required me to blog weekly, all in order to publicly journal my journey in my training. Now with a switch in my training goals, I am no longer required to, but rather am choosing to continue to journal my year. Now I'm not the most excited or best blogger, not even a good one, but despite this I have learnt the value of it. It is a tool that keeps one accountable to oneself and others, it allows a person to express themselves in the good, bad and ugly, all the while leaving a trail of bread crumbs showing successes and failures, all which play a part in the end result. So with all that being said, here I publicly put my plans out there. Even though I am extremely excited, and would feel much more comfortable training silently on a trail in the bush with no witnesses other than the birds and squirrels, making this blog public gives me an added push and motivation.

 

This year I have set my big goal of completing the Canadian Deathrace solo, 125km through the mountains of Grande Cache in 24 hours. This coming August long weekend will be my 8th death race, as I have run both as a team and a solo marathoner for the last 7 years. In these 7 years I have learned more than I could ever put down on paper. I have experienced each one of the 5 legs, some multiple times and feel a little more confident with that knowledge. I know once I hit the teepees on leg one I'm almost at the first transition. I have learned that the power line on leg two is not my friend. I have been given instructions as to where to clap my hands on leg three to scare away the bear (like clapping is going to work 🙄). I have the last tree picked before the switchbacks start up mount Hammel where I can still pee with a little bit of privacy.  Last but not least leg five, the stretch that has a ridge that gave me the most beautiful view of stars in the sky with the silhouette of mountains around and the fresh smell after a rain.

 

Each year I have walked away with adventures that truly touch my heart and mean so much to me. I have been fortunate to witness family and friends strike out on this solo feat and have been inspired to up my challenge this year and see just how far I can push both mind and body, all the while enjoying and experiences each moment for the gift it is.

 

It is too easy to say “someday I’m going to…” or “before I’m 50 I will…”, when all too often these hopes and dreams never amount to anything and leave a person saying later on in life “I wish I would have…”  So here I go with a challenge which I know is going to push me in more ways than I can comprehend at this point. I know this will be difficult and know that there is really no way to prepare for absolutely every detail, as weather, animals, injury etc etc may change in a heartbeat, but I do believe that I can do my best to go into this race as trained mentally and physically as possible with back up plans and support that will be my saving grace if or when things go a little off course.

I am grateful that at this point in my life I am still capable, driven and have a support system that will help me because the truth is, challenges like this are never done 100% on one’s own. Life can change in a heartbeat so stop putting things off, strap on the shoes and hit the trail; it’s a mystery as to where it can all take you.

 

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt”

John Muir

 Alana Regier

 

A Little Sunshine

“Those that bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves”

James M Barrie

‘If you only want to shine light on one spot you may want to pull out a flashlight. But if the sun lights something up, its light shines on everything in its vicinity. When we bring sunshine to the life of others, it shines on us as well’

As Random Acts of Kindness day approaches, this excerpt was in my morning reading. How true it is! In a world that tells us repeatedly to be selfish and take care of ourselves and our needs above all else, it can be hard to remember that there is great reward found in helping others around us.  I believe it is impossible to do something kind for another and not feel a ray of sunshine lighting up your own life. ‘As we focus our time and energy on others, our lives become transformed internally.’ Every act of kindness shows love.  What good is love if we keep it to ourselves? What are we storing up kindness for in a world that so desperately needs it?  As Paul Brandt sings ‘Give it Away.’  Although we shouldn’t need or wait for a day designated for random acts of kindness, it is a day where we can spread a little extra and make others around us aware of the difference we are all capable of making by simply spreading kindness and showing a little love.  It will truly make your heart happy!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PKlgK5dKeTQ

Alana Regier

I'm Batman

As I get older I see things differently than I did in my youth. Although youth offers the benefits of lasting energy, long term hopes and dreams, the feeling of having all the time in the world, believing we are invincible etc etc…, age and experience has given me gifts of a different kind. I am learning more patience, acceptance, need and benefits of modification, different more meaningful purpose, appreciation, value, priority shift, learning where I belong and a better idea of where I want to be, and these are just to name a few. 

Perspective for each of us varies. Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something completely different, walk away with an entirely different experience and be led in directions that vary. Life’s experiences, circumstances and the general make up of a person alter what and how one sees things. Although we may have our own personal reasons for seeing things the way we do, we also have a choice as to the eyes we see it through.  It may not always be easy; however, there is usually some way, somehow to put a positive spin on every experience, if we choose to.

The truth is, we limit our possibilities if we allow our perspective to be skewed in a negative direction. The reality is that things are never all rainbows and unicorns, but there is always something to be grateful for, and a positive perspective to be found, we just need to be open, aware and acknowledge it. Some may look at this idea as being ‘fake’, but I would have to disagree. I believe it’s making a conscious choice to look at the moment, the circumstance or the person and view it as an opportunity to change things in a positive direction. If we choose to dwell on and continue to feed a cycle of negative and ugly ideas, feelings and behaviours, nothing will ever change. Take the negative, learn from it and change it, making something good come out of it. Positivity is contagious but so is negativity!

Alana Regier

 

alana.regier@blogspot.com

Year of the Dog in Review

Its -22 outside, -30 with the windchill and yet I still find myself bundling up in layers to take my four legged, furry family member out for her morning walk. How is it that this ball of fur who cannot talk using words, speaks so loud and clear with just a look and a wag of her tail?  This may seem like a goofy thought; however, it got me thinking about quiet communication.  One of the greatest lessons I have learnt this past year is the value of and the necessity to listen to the quiet subtle messages, lessons and directions.  It may be the crying of body parts to rest, or the longing of a relationship requiring attention or maybe the heart being pulled in a direction that is opposite from the one you have travelled for so long. Whatever the message is, it should not be ignored as it usually has a way of becoming much louder and in a more determined form.

To say my year was one of roller coasters with crash and burns along the way is somewhat an understatement. I think it’s safe to say that my last two years has seen more changes in all areas of my life than the entire 10 years before it. I haven’t always handled it well or with much grace and have questioned my sanity and my direction many times along the way. So what can I say of the year of the dog?  Honestly I’m glad you are over. Now please don’t get me wrong, although trying, it was a year that gave a lot of realization and clarity.  I have been confronted with more uncomfortable, painful and frustrating moments than I would care to.  I can’t help but wonder that perhaps these were all moments that had been coming for quite some time but because they were more subtle they were easier to push aside.

We live in a very loud world with a multitude of things competing for our attention, money and time. It can be very distracting and easily lead a person off the course of where they truly NEED to be. This leads me to a much different place than I envisioned myself at this point. I have found myself listening to the soft quiet voices of my heart that are gently pointing me in a different direction. This change of direction may not be understood by others and may not even be fully understood by my own mind at this point, but I believe my body and heart know better than my confused and doubting mind.  So although I am glad the year of the dog has come to an end, I am in a weird way grateful for it. It has led me and helped prepare me for the changes 2019 is bringing.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

She is eager and ready to go, I am not!

The place I would rather be, Grande Cache in the summer, no layers required!