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!!!!🤗
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!!!!🤗
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