It rained the first night so all  our gear got wet in the perforated tents. I am trying my best but every day is a constant physical and mental struggle.  Amazing people and scenery so far. I’ve got to go tend to blisters and try to eat something. Cheers.

High school was more than 20 years ago, and it’s amazing how much the body and mind can change in that time.  I remember we had to do a “12 minute run” in gym class. I always wondered what the point was, running around in circles in the gym.  My friends and I would sneak walk breaks when the teacher wasn’t looking.  I loathed that run.   

In university, against my will, I took up running to fight the infamous “Freshman 15” I was so surprised when I ran 12 minutes one day - 12 whole minutes without stopping! My mind was blown. My next milestone was 5km. It was around that time, I became friends with a wonderful woman named Marion, a marathon runner. My mind couldn’t fathom 42 km but then my brother Thieu finished the Los Angeles marathon and said, “It’s not what you think, it’s totally doable.”  A few months later I finished the Calgary Marathon.

At age 50, Marion decided to take up triathlons and registered for Ironman.  The thought of it seemed preposterous to me.  Competitors swim 3.8 km, then get on their bikes and cycle 180 km and as if that wasn’t enough, they finish off with a marathon.  How absurd. Thieu joined her the second year, and I was there to cheer them on.   A few years later, it was Marion and Thieu who cheered me on.

My challenges have been increasing in intensity over the last few years.  After the Antarctic and North Pole marathons, I wondered: what’s next? What is harder than these races? An ultra-marathon in the desert seemed like a logical progression. Before my races, I was always fraught with nerves, and an overwhelming sense of “What the hell am I doing?”  Ask any of my poor co-workers about the month leading up to my North Pole marathon. All someone had to do was ask me about the race and I would break into tears.  In the end it turned out great and it’s one of the highlights of my life.

So I notice a pattern, a predictable cycle. The build-up of: anxiety, hesitation, fear, then the event which includes pain, doubt and struggle, followed by triumph, affirmation and joy, which usually cycles into boredom and listlessness, and finally, the plotting and dreaming begins about the next challenge.

Tomorrow, I fly to Jordan, the race begins on Sunday, February 16 and finishes on the 22^nd.  However, this one is different, I am approaching this without anxiety, hesitation or fear because I know that whatever happens, whatever the outcome, it will be amazing. 

I’m off. I’m going to give this a whirl,……a brave new whirl.

Linh