The World's Toughest Race

Thanks to my friend, Pete Stringer, I get some interesting group
emails from his ultra-marathon friends. These are unique people
who like to push themselves beyond their limits. Maybe they are
trying to find their limits. This message is from Pete's friend Susan
from New Mexico. It's a little long, so settle in for fifteen minutes.
It's a great look into the mindset of someone who doesn't settle
for the ordinary.

Some weeks ago when we were in Alpine, TX and it was the night
before the Marathon2Marathon (half for me) Matt was flipping
through the tv stations and landed on the Discovery channel. We
ended up watching the first episode of "The World's Toughest Race,"
which is a documentary in installments of the 2008 Iditarod dog
sled race (Anchorage to Nome). The show followed several of the
mushers - some the top contenders, some unknowns but with
interesting back stories like the guy with diabetes who's racing with
an insulin pump or the tribal musher who built his own sled in the
tradition of his people.

By chance we caught another episode of the show this past Friday
night. We're kind of hooked for a couple of reasons: 1. when we lived
in AK I actually did a little volunteer work for the Iditarod and at
least once we took our kids out to a spot between Anchorage and
home to see the teams fairly close to the start of their race;
and 2. the show gets me to thinking about what makes people rise
to such a daunting challenge. I guess there's a third reason:
I love watching the strategizing.

As of Friday night's program the top three contenders are getting
close to the finish. In the lead is Lance Mackey, a cancer survivor
and former winner (in '07 I think). He's been referred to as "one in
the biggest debt because of his medical bills." His dog team has been
reduced to 12 dogs and he's running on pure guts. The other night he
"snuck" out of a rest station to try and put some distance between
himself and the 2nd guy. He's the real scrapper: broke down team,
no real money behind him, but fighting it out with determination
not to let the next guy psyche him out.

The 2nd guy is Jeff King. He's won four times already. He's one of
the "most heavily sponsored." He's slick. He's let Mackey break the
trail pretty much the majority of the race. This is not according to
trail or race protocol - when the trail conditions aren't good it's
common for the lead racers to trade off somewhat spontaneously.
Mackey's been a little pissed about King's lack of cooperation with
the informal understanding about the taking turns in front, but
there's no set rule to point to. King's 16 dogs are all healthy.
He's playing with Mackey and already gloating a bit about winning.
We'll see. I favor Mackey for his moxie. King is pushing Mackey,
pushing Mackey's dogs, but at the same time, to keep up with
Mackey King is having to push as well.

Third and coming on strong is one of the true gentlemen of the
event, four time winner Martin Buser. Buser is originally from
Switzerland. He's methodical - sticking to his plan. He was way
back in the middle for a long time. His 18 yr. old son Rohn is racing
for the first year as well. They had an understanding that the time
would come when Martin would leave Rohn to go for the win.
He's been moving up from well-back in the pack and now has the
front two within reach. He talks much about the balance between
rest and running for himself and his dogs.

I don't know who will win. The guy with the diabetes is fighting
to finish. At one point he said just that..."I just want to finish this
thing." Out there in the wilderness he's very vulnerable, but he's
determined and he is trying to set a standard for other diabetics.
I'm nervous for him but also amazed. At one point he and his dogs
all had stomach issues - it's run through the stations (sorry for
the pun) - several teams are effected. He's better now, at least a
full day behind those up front, but still going on.

It was his comment that set me to thinking. Wanting to finish is
so much stronger than "I don't want to quit." Both lead to the
same, but the one seems so much more positive. When we lived
in AK my kids were very little and we weren't in a position nor
did I have the experience, but I secretly wanted to run the Iditarod
some day. It's not possible now, but I manage to get out and
accomplish most of what I get a fancy to do.

Setting goals is important. I've seen many posts about which
100 miler makes a good first 100 miler, a new group member is
thinking about run/walking across Maryland, and so it goes.
I'll confess that I wanted to walk across Mongolia for a really long
time. And I've followed (somewhat loosely) constanttrek.com
Paula Constant covered over 12,000 kms before a civil war
turned her from her path.

Byron Chikinda posted about his around-the-world mileage and
I've been pondering every since. I thought his approach to getting
around the world was rather brilliant. I'm grateful to him (hope he
reads this) for the inspiration.

Someone will always be faster or go further or break the next
record or have the more "exciting" adventure. Those mushers in
the Iditarod are focused. They know what they want and what
they need to do to accomplish it. For some it is simply about
finishing. Others are using their own strategies to push
for the win.

I'm starting to plan a new adventure. It probably will be smaller
in scale than my Arctic trek and even a bit less than April's Jornada
adventure. I was told about a rough and remote trail in Scotland
(the Cape Wrath Trail) but when Matt said, "After the last two
walks, you don't need to prove anything," I had to agree. I will
probably pick something that will amount to a good walk.
I'm checking out two trails - they both appeal to me for different
reasons. Either will be challenging simply because of the hills
and the miles and the weather and the unknown. Neither is
crossing Mongolia on foot, but then I was told by someone living
there that, "If you are on foot, the locals will think you are so poor
or so unloved that no one offered you a ride (on horseback)."
I don't want to go some place and be thought of as "unloved."
I just want to go some miles.

So, watching Mackey, King, and Buser I'm going to adopt the
Buser strategy. I'll figure out exactly what I want to accomplish
and how I want to do it. I'll plan according to who I am and by
which trail interests me more. I'll be in it for the finish, not the win.
I'm not a contender in that sense - no records to break for this girl.

For me, the beauty of what we do (whether we go the length of a
trail or finish 100 miles) is that we discover something about
ourselves along the way. Yes, we'll measure ourselves for our
endurance and maybe for our speed, but we should also experience
joy and gain some wisdom as we go.

There's a musher, I think she's in 13th place now, maybe a little
further back who's been around a long time: DeeDee Jonrow.
She's had double mastectomies in the last couple years and missed
an Iditarod or two while she was undergoing her treatments.
She said an amazing thing in the last show. "If I won the lottery
tonight, I'd still want to be doing this, living in this state,
having the same house, being married to the same man, driving
the same car. It doesn't get any better than this."

Laugh freely, Walk far,
susan

Thought For The Day

If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?
- Scott Adams -

Thought For The Day

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.
- Kahlil Gibran -

OFFICIAL Football Top 25

1. Alabama - Clutch win vs LSU, hosts Mississippi St.
2. Texas Tech - Bye week, then huge game at Oklahoma.
3. Southern Cal - 8-1, at Stanford, always trouble.
4. Oklahoma - They also have a bye, then Texas Tech.
5. Florida - Nice win at Vandy. South Carolina next.
6. Texas - Colt McCoy leads the 'Horns against Kansas.
7. Utah - Beat TCU, SD State this week, Then BYU.
8. Penn State - Terrible loss to Iowa, hosts Indiana.
9. Ohio State - Buckeyes travel to always tough Illinois.
10. Missouri - Chase Daniel and Mizzou visit Iowa State.
11. Georgia - At Auburn Sat., which Bulldog will show up?
12. Oklahoma State - Beat up Cowboys travel to Colorado.
13. Michigan State - Bye week then close season at Penn St.
14. BYU - 9-1, At Air Force, then the Big Game at Utah.
15. TCU - Lost to Utah, hosts Air Force Nov. 22nd.
16. North Carolina - Beat Ga. Tech, tough game at Maryland.
17. Ball State - 9-0, visits Central Michigan next.
18. LSU - Lost to #1 Alabama 27-21, hosts Troy Sat.
19. Pittsburgh - Bowl bound Pitt visits Cinncinati.
20. Boston College - Sweet win vs Notre Dame. At Fla. St.
21. UMass - Bad loss to Maine, now they visit UNH.
22. St. Anselm - Beat Pace to finish season on a sweet note.
23. Framingham St. - 5-5, Beat Coast Guard with 10 seconds left.
24. Natick High - Big showdown with undefeated Walpole Fri.
25. Dennis-Yarmouth - 4-4, hosts Plymouth North Fri. night.

Thought For Veterans Day

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
- Mark Twain, Notebook, 1935 -

In Flanders Fields

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing,
fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD Canadian Army

All The World's A Stage

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.
- William Shakespeare -