Many Shoutouts
As I mentioned yesterday, I had plenty of time to think during the trail race. There were many things I felt acutely grateful for; some specific to the run, others not. I thought I’d shout out five here.
First, my family. What an incredible team to have behind me. Of course, my brothers and parents. But what an amazing tribe my extended family is, too. I often take for granted just how supported I truly am by everyone and how close-knit this family is. You know you’re lucky when a problem you’re facing is when you’re going to get around to replying to the countless messages of sincere excitement, support, and best wishes from family members.
In the same vein, my girlfriend, Mary. After four months of exhausting, non-stop travel, convincing yourself to make the convoluted journey from China to a remote jungle in the deep south of Thailand for four days to run an ultramarathon is difficult. But having your partner be supportive enough to do all of that with you—when you could have instead been flying directly to a relaxing Thai beach, saving multiple days of travel, miserably humid weather, and aimless wandering around a small border town—is such a blessing. To have her waiting after nearly 12hrs at the finishing line for me meant the world, and the way in which she has made some crazy pursuits even remotely possible for me this year takes immense sacrifices on her part. Without Mary, this year wouldn’t even exist. I’m eternally grateful.
You know what else is absolutely essential in my life? Water. I wouldn’t be anywhere without it. Throughout this race—wow, did my appreciation for water increase. I felt I drank so many fluids. In fact, I almost never stopped drinking water. Yet, in the sweltering heat, it nearly never felt like enough. Without the constant water, I would have surely been a headachy, faint, vomiting mess by kilometre twenty. I also would’ve quite literally overheated. Pouring buckets of icy water over my head at aid stations and wrapping wet towels around my neck or forehead were just about the only things keeping my core body temperature down. The constant battle against dehydration gave me plenty of time to revisit my renal physiology, try and observe the symptoms of dehydration, and appreciate the impossibly large role that water plays in keeping our bodies alive.
Toe socks! If you know me well, you may already have seen this one coming. Yes, I love toe socks. Yes, they look funky. No, I don’t care. The day-to-day comfort and mobility already persuades me to wear them around normally. But in a race? Now the performance and blister prevention shine through. Being able to splay my toes properly and actually use each them, precisely and individually, to scale uneven terrain feels like such an advantage. It may completely be a placebo, but I don’t mind all that much. The placebo effect can still have a real effect. Also, blisters kill endurance events, especially in the toes. Not having to deal with wounds throughout the race made an immense difference, meaning I could focus on the running.
A quick one on a similar token—Vaseline. As aforementioned, blisters would have killed my race. Chafing as well. It seems small, but really adds up over twelve hours. Vaseline is versatile, straightforward, and inexpensive. It isn’t an exciting strategy, but I am so incredibly glad I pre-applied Vaseline everywhere before the race. I hadn’t really taken it seriously before, but I because of this one easy measure, I experienced less irritation, chafing, and blistering in twelve hours than I usually do in a two hour race.
Actually, one more bonus—race volunteers. You guys were awesome, and this also wouldn’t be possible without your generosity, kindness, and smiles. The food and drink available at aid stations was more than that. It represented love, selflessness, and a community that is far more than the sum of its parts.
Plenty to be grateful for. This experience reminded me of a few things—some massive components of my life, others little tools—that are deserving of appreciation. There is a place of recognising both the small stuff, and the big things, too. Underneath the surface of every exploit like this, there are so many pillars that hold everything together and make it a possibility in the first place. To everything that made this race, this year, and this privilege life I have the chance to live possible—thank you.
