Furnace Creek 508 wasn’t just a challenge of physical aptitude it had been a physical, emotional, and financial stretch more than I could bear. It’s interesting in life how we learn where our limits are, only to accede them the next year. I know that I will finish this race in the future, but for now, I just need to GYST (Get Your Stuff Together). This was a test that, no you can’t do everything yourself, but with the help of your friends and God you will survive. I hope that next year I look back on this Race as a turning point not just in training and racing, but also in Life: Financially, Emotionally, and Physically.
One thing I have come to find is that people do these physical tests: Ironman, Marathon, Ultra races, to feel like they can overcome all their problems. But in life we are not meant to do these things alone. I learned this after the race, by the responses I got from friends and family on Facebook, texts, calls, etc. What makes my Fortius Racing team so great is not that we win every event, but that knowing that when you fall, and eventually you will, your teammates are there to help you back onto your feet, and push you back into the game.
This race resembled my life in the past few months oh too well. I would try to do everything myself, and make everything work for everyone else while letting my responsibilities fall by the wayside. I tried pushing up through every obstacle on the course and as I stopped, my teammates would ask every time, what do you need. Their support was unwavering, even when my body was shutting down. I stopped at this race, interestingly enough at a peak, the downhill was too much for my knees to take, so I decided to survive and stop before I did something I would regret. One thing about mountains, when you’re at the top you look out and see for miles, but you don’t usually look at what has gotten you right there, what is under your feet at that very moment. The people that have helped as well as the obstacles you have overcome.
A friend summed up my race that you have just done one of your longest rides ever and now you can step past that next time. To her, she didn’t see it as a failure as much as a step to the next level. I am still trying to grasp this, but I do see the point and many people have failed on this race only to get back into it the next time and succeed. I love the saying, “It’s not how many times you fall that’s important, it’s how many times you get back up.” So, everyday, focus on taking that next step and remember that your friends and family are there to help you along the way.
Thank You Family, Friends, and of course Fortius, you are the difference!
