Eight days until I leave for Patagonia.  I can’t believe it is finally here.  I have spent months training in the mountains, the ocean, the rock gym, and the local parks.  I have purchased loads of new gear and received free gear from our many sponsors.  Interesting gear that a girl wouldn’t normally purchase – like a Nautical Knife with sheath to wear on my lifejacket – I’m not sure what I will be cutting – other than Joel when he yells at me to paddle faster.  I have other cool gear, like Ascenders, so I can scamper up a rope dangling from a cliff in the middle of nowhere.  I now have “milk” in my mountain bike tires (No Tubes tire sealant) which my bike mechanic assures me will enable me ride over spikes in the road and still not get a flat.  That is a good thing since I still suck at changing a flat. The list goes on…I am still puzzling over how I will pack all this gear and take it with me to Patagonia. 

Last night, while flying to Nashville, I was reflecting on the journey we have taken to prepare for “The Adventure at the End of the World”.  My first thought…this was a huge commitment. I didn’t realize what it really meant when I said “I’m in” and then before you knew it I couldn’t back out without letting down my teammates.  I am hoping to use that "don’t quit" attitude when I am sinking up to my waist in peat bogs, biking in 40 MPH winds or trying to take another step when my knees are in excruciating pain.  I found myself thinking about how fortunate I am to have this opportunity in life and the friends and family who have been part of this dream.  I am grateful to my loved ones (especially my husband Stephen) for their patience and sacrifice … I spend all my free time training and my extra money on race gear and expensive plane tickets.   I have made new friends who have given up their free time to help me reach this goal.  Ed Schiller from Virginia Sea Kayak has paddled with us and instructed us in the finer art of dumping yourself in 46 degree water and quickly climbing back in your boat.  Jason Reid has helped me master how to pass a knot when both rappelling and ascending.  Jason tried to make me feel better by telling me this was difficult even for experienced climbers, but I suspect he was just being nice.  Al Becker who hiked with me in the Appalachian Mountains and froze while helping me test my gear and toughness; sleeping outdoors in 30 degree weather.  Roberio Bezerra from Conte’s who dialed out my mountain bike with cool free gear.  Roberio ordered lots racks to find one that will work for a “small girl bike” so that I can get my backpack off my back.  Now if I can only convince Rob to tow me during the race I might make it up the mountain. Lastly and most importantly I am eternally grateful for my racing partner Joel.  Without Joel I would not be doing this race.  He has endured my insistence to test everything, to train all the time and learn as much as I can about every aspect of this race so that I am at least mentally prepared for Patagonia.  I can’t say he was patient doing all of this with me but he didn’t quit helping me either.  I am pretty sure that will be the same experience I will have with him during the race – impatient with me but never giving up on me.

So ready or not here I come.

I thought I would post something a little different and off the wall rather than what training, etc. I have been doing. Heck, if I'm not ready at this point, then I'm screwed. One cool thing I did do was tie a climbing rope about halfway up a fairly big tree in our backyard so I could practice the rope stuff. It has actually been quite effective.

Anyway, back to my original storyline. I guess I am more of a closet redneck really. For everyone that knows me, nobody would probably ever guess that I grew up working on my grandfathers farm starting at the age of 10 or so. I was driving tractors around by the time I was 12. Nobody would ever guess that I listen to country music most of the time. Sure, I have some cds leftover from college like The Cult, New Order, The Farm, etc., but I definitely prefer listening to country music. Let's see, what else. I have been a huge stock car racing fan(that's NASCAR racing to the general public) for about 25-30 years. I like all sports for sure(I'm a huge Dolphins fan also), but I have always been addicted to racing. What else? I like 4x4 trucks with big tires(I think this goes back to having a huge collection of Stompers when I was a kid). Does anyone remember these? I own a Dodge Ram 2500, but I commute in a Subaru Outback. Is that a redneck car? It could count as one with my Matt Kenseth license plate on the front.

Anyway, I think the reason I thought of this post stems from knowing how diverse all the competitors in Patagonia will be. I think there are suppose to be 10 nations represented. Do you think that I can find one country music fan? I have never done anything like this before, so it is fairly exciting knowing I get to meet other adventure racers with all kinds of diverse interests from other countries. I think I am proof people with all kinds of different interests can compete in adventure racing and endurance sports in general. I mean, come on, I have shaved my legs for the last 16 years. How is that for redneck?

I am fairly certain Grant is going to give me a hard time about all this, but I know it will be in good fun. I am just wondering if Grant would want a bite of a cold meatloaf MRE if had not had food for 2 days.