Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Calm Before the Storm




Badwater is just days away and the feeling of calmness is beginning to settle in. It's a feeling that comes along with the realization that there is simply nothing more that you can do to prepare yourself for what is about to happen. The months of training are done, the crew is ready, the race plan is complete and all arrangements have been made. So what else is there other than to accept what I've created for myself physically and focus on making sure I'm 100% ready mentally. That quiet focus that sets in the days before is a difficult feeling to explain but it's something that I think is important for me leading up to a race like Badwater. It's almost as if my body knows what torture awaits it and begins blocking out other distractions and storing up energy. My resting heart rate slows. I feel like I have very little energy and have almost a nonchalant attitude about the big race. You would think that as the race got closer I'd begin to get more excited and nervous but it is almost the opposite that happens. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to experience Badwater and feel the satisfaction of the greatest physical challenge of my life but in the days leading up to it you wouldn't know it by my actions. The lack of energy and enthusiasm heading into a big race used to concern me a little but I've come to accept it as something that is just a part of my normal race routine and it's maybe one of the single most important phases of my preparation. Over the next few days I'll pack my bags and make my way down to Death Valley a couple days before the race. Then settle in and await the storm that is Badwater.