Luck is on my side, luck I create and use to it's fullest. Lucky to see and live some amazing life adventures. If you're up for it I will share with you some of them. There are so many of them that it is hard for me to narrow it down so let's go in a chronological order of some sort instead. My first half-ironman triathlon.

What does it take to race in any type of athletic race? It is a secret that I don't like to hand out to just anyone but if you think you're ready then keep reading...

The preparation, sweat, hard work, grueling workouts, everything leading up to event day! The training schedules, the program, walk, run, lift repeat. It is tedious hard work but rewarding.

The first part of the plan is finding an event you want to go in and actually committing to doing it in your mind. Then telling your friends and family your plans. It is important to discuss these things with family because they may not understand why you are headed out for an hour on your own when they are used to having you at their disposal twenty four/seven. Happy wife; happy life. Happy mom/happy children.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled life for future planning...

Our lives are constantly evolving and if you are not as fluid as the world around you, you will find yourself left behind and stuck. Never one to sit on my heels I already have started searching for other races, adventures and hikes for the next year. I can kid myself that I'm going to "coast" but that is not my personality. Waiting for next Monday, month or year is not going to make anything happen. We are here in the now and when you begin to plan in the now for the future that is when life truly begins to evolve.

These shoes need to see more trails...and I need to see more trails. The possibilities are endless. I have already found in a short span of time so many neat races/adventures. There is a Helirun in the Canadian Rockies where as a team of two runs 19 km each and there is a helicopter ride involved in the race. Wow! Sign me up. Can you even imagine? Want to start training for next year?

For me adventures like this are hard but fun all at the same time. This is why I run when I don't want to or feel like it. What is your motivator? That is the key, finding the what fuels your fire. You may have to research out ideas, it is not going to just appear in front of you but sometimes it does and you need to take that cue as a sign to do it. Not think about it, mull it and beat it to death. Stop waiting! You can talk yourself into or out of anything if you wait long enough.

Start today...plan for tomorrow and live life now!

I Live Life Now,

Lisa Stocking

CSEP-CPT 

Perhaps one of the unknown problems after training for a big event is the post race depression. It is not spoken of very often. This year was an accumulation of ten years of running for myself and honestly driving to the race we really thought that it was our last year. That is until we see all of our friends. It is hard to walk away from six years of friendship and fun. So, in honor of our friends we are going to put a team in next year to see how fast we can do the race. Why not?

Call me an adrenaline junkie but I LOVE learning new skills and being on new adventures, possibly the next sport Stephanie and I would like to experience is mountain biking. I am up for anything that will keep me in the mountains and trying new things. 

Our Original Five as we call ourselves have a five year plan to run every five years the race as our original team until the race ends or until we are too old. So in 2017 we will go back as our old team (as well as older lol). It will be a great reunion and chance to test ourselves as we age every five years. 

When one is so focused on a goal and training, the minute you are no longer focused on this there seems to be a slump that athletes fall into. Feeling like superman one minute and then like a lost little kid who can't find their family. The best plan is to keep moving forward in life. When you let grass grow under your feet you are becoming stagnant and with that comes bad habits. Although I plan to take some time off, it wil be unstructured time off meaning I do not follow a real schedule of training but run when I want, lift when I want and relax when I want. I always know I am ready for a new adventure when I start getting the itch that won't go away then I'm recovered and ready.

But for now I am starting to feel proud of our accomplishment. I write about it to relate it to you but really I find it odd to share it. It is done for me. No one else. It's not to impress you or show off. If anything I am honored if it motivates someone else to try something new. That is a real compliment when you say to yourself. I think I could do that!

So for now enjoy the rest of summer, keep your loved ones close and dream big! We did and succeeded now it's your turn...

I Live Life Now (and I hope you do too!),

Lisa Stocking

CSEP-CPT

Into the deep dark night. I leave transition at 12:50 pm. 22 km left. Leg 5 is the most exciting. The trail passes through the famous rock tunnel, you meet the grim reaper (I high fived him), cross the river on a jet boat and get to bring it in on the home stretch. What the organizers don't tell you is it is also the longest, darkest, most technical, single track, rooted, rock, log, frog covered section of the race. It is mentally hard and physically harder. Especially when your legs are tired and they don't lift so well over all these obstructions. 

After unsuccessfully trying to run a few times on this first trail to the river I walked, FAST! My headlamp was very dim again. I caught up to another runner also doing Legs 4 & 5 and his light was like the sun! I stuck to him. After what seemed like forever we finally made the jet boats. Heaven!!!

Crossing the river I experienced "sea legs" not really they were just tired legs and I started to walk like I had been at the bar all night, not out on a race course. The climb out from the river is arduous. It is uphill for a long ways and straight up. This is my specialty I love hills and this was where I started to make up ground. I left the racer I was with for the run to the river, he was suffering and I was falling asleep on my feet so I had to go in order to stay awake and finish. Not too many pictures here.

Slowly I start to feel as though I am wearing blinders. I have no headlamp left. Seriously, my third headlamp to break...ugh. Thank goodness I grabbed the flashlight. Out it comes and I walk with two poles in one hand and a flashlight in the other. I didn't see anyone for over an hour. This is when your mind plays tricks on you. Darkness, tiredness and the deep dark forest. I put one headphone in my ear to distract myself and chuckle when the song "We Run The Night" comes on...run um yah right!

I couldn't get my footing everytime I ran, I hit a mud bog or tripped. Enough. I wanted to finish and finish feeling strong for upcoming adventures. I hoofed it in walk mode and ran the odd section that looked clear which was few and far between especially with a flashlight.

In these hours I thought a lot about my mom, my dad and the suffering and illness they both have been through. My dad shone the moon for me that night I know this for a fact and he kept me calm in the darkest hours. My mom's strength and suffering she has overcome over the last eight months boosted my morale knowing she didn't have a choice in a health crisis and I chose this so it was my duty to finish something I chose to do. My cousin texted me to boost me up when I was feeling down. She of all people having to conquer her own health crisis during the past year. We are like twins both active and fit and she has had a big scare as well. I am thankful for hardships in life as difficult as they are it only makes you tougher if you choose that instead of being a victim of it.

There was points in the race that I was resigned that it would never end and really at that point anymore I didn't care. You hit lows and the next minute you get yourself out of it. I'm strong, I'm ready and I can do this. Then out of the darkness like a beacon of light the best sign in the world showed up:

It is nearing 7 pm. That is our time cut-off; meaning you are no longer in this race. Kicked out, disqualified, done. Years of training leading up to this over. I was actually not nervous, I knew deep inside that she would make it.

Finally I switch to racer mode. Racing clothes on, shoes on, gear packed and ready, poles out and nervousness setting in finally. I looked at Mt. Hamel driving out on the highway and I was so ready to go up it and see the view from the top! Hamel wasn't the concern it was the portion after it on tired legs and a tired brain.

Looking down the path I finally saw her! I started to tear up, I was so damn proud of her it was amazing her strength to get to that point, what she fought through and what she /we were doing finally hit home. 

The waiting is the hardest. Ask any racer that is running Leg 4 or 5 of the Canadian Death Race and they will answer the same. By this time everyone is showered done and ready for a beer and pizza. You are still shaking in your booties waiting to run into hell...or darkness or Hell's Gates whichever comes first.

The beauty of the race this year was live athlete tracking. I could watch online exactly where Stephanie was at any point in time. Another great bonus with technology is there is no more guessing when your racer is in. You just call or text when you have service which is quite easy to get on the top of a mountain. My phone dings and I check it here is what I see:

Happy Stephanie! Yes!

Talk is cheap. Doing it is hard. 

It seems when you plan a goal for a couple of years the talk comes effortlessly and the plans start to fall into place for it. Then the day actually shows up. Oh no. Time to actually put your body where your mouth is and that is hard.

Race day morning!

We woke up at 6:15 am for a race start of 8 am. I actually dragged out of bed at 6:45 to finally get ready. We are no longer the early risers of races past. Sleep, eat a little, get dressed and head out to the start line usually only with about 15 minutes to spare. It is very draining to hurry up and wait at the start for an hour and it's Grande Cache there aren't a lot of traffic jams...you could walk to the start with time to burn as many people do.

Of great interest to most is what we eat at races, at least for me it is. I ask nearly every runner I meet what they eat before, during and after races. I mixed Stephanie a protein shake with a banana to get her morning started. We don't change much on race day just eat what we are used to and it always seems to work well.

Gear check, chip in and get in line for the race! 22:00 minutes to go time.

One day laying by the lake listening to the kids laugh and recovering for the West Coast Trail. Next day driving like a mad person to the hospital to be with my mom. For those of you who have followed my blogs you will have realized that my mom has struggled with her health and survived insurmountable odds. It has been the scariest year of my life and on the flip side a year filled with the most amazingly peaceful and wonderful experiences.

Now that I am sitting by her bed again I have sometime to write. I apologize if it starts to seem muddled it will match my head-space at the moment. I have had some reflection time about the last weekend on the drive out here. A chronological process I have chosen to describe the it and give you a look into what our experience at The Canadian Death Race entailed. We set off from my house with my holiday trailer in tow ready to conquer the race just the two of us...

Twas the night before the race and all through the house not a creature was sleeping not even the racer. It is the dreaded crazy sleep the night before the big event. Nerves are high, did I train enough? Am I really ready? What if I sprain my toe in the shower this morning? What if I get a cold? Is my right knee sore now too? How is this possible? What if....?  Then come the crazy dreams of the race itself, when you realize you're running naked up the mountain but you don't care you're so focused on finishing! (Not that I have ever dreamt this)

You are in a strange room usually, after travelling umpteen hours to get to the race, ran around like a crazy person all week getting things ready and set up to be able to go for the weekend. Life is not ever normal before an event. The key is to realize it and not panic about it and also realize that nearly everyone else other than the very experienced is in the same boat. It is actually the night before the night before the race that is the most important for a good sleep.

Same goes for food. I can promise you that you are not going to cram in all you carbohydrates the night before the race to facilitate a good run. If you are short on food intake up to 72 hours before an event that can really effect your performance. Eat all week not too much extra but be diligent to not miss meals during the week at all. And honestly even if you do our bodies are amazing and can perform on anything in the end. It just might not be your peak performance.

Drink, not excessive alcohol (but if it happens oh well) but water. Don't float away down the river because you've over hydrated but drink consistently.

Training. Too late now. If you feel good and want to keep running lightly for fun and to release energy go ahead. Unless your as smart as me and run in a lightning storm on the Monday of the week and realize you need to sprint home to beat the storm and pull your quad...no one said I was smart. It's slowly coming along this week. But seriously I am experienced enough to know better. Do as I say not as I do.

If you have tapered enough you should feel like you are about to jump out of your skin before your race this weekend. Like a ball of nuclear energy on the verge of exploding! Then you know it's just right. I always hate the last few long runs I have before an event and can't wait to be done and then magically my desire to run long after a week of tapering returns and I NEED to run! That is just right!

See you on the course this weekend. And thank you if you are supporting, volunteering or just coming to cheer it is amazing to feel that positive energy in your bones as you run (along with pain) but the pain is masked by happiness! 

I Live Life Now,

Lisa Stocking

CSEP-CPT