Calm before the ... fun?

It's hard to believe that a year has passed since I mustered up the courage to commit to a race I've wanted to do for a decade. I remember asking Coach Lisa with trepidation if it was possible for me to train for the race through a Swiss winter -- if I would have to run some "crazy" distances per week -- if she thought I was up to the event. Within an hour of hearing her three yeses, I signed up without further thought, but admittedly with a modicum of healthy fear. A year later and I'm making my final gear checks, scrutinizing daily race food and calorie selections, and preparing to depart in only three days for Ouarzazate, Morocco. As my favorite mug reads ....

On Saturday, I set out on a two hour taper run -- the last training run with my fully-weighted backpack. I passed up a beautiful morning (focusing on the ING Chances for Children project, general gear-sorting tasks, and a smidgen of procrastination) and waited until the skies darkened, the winds swept over the hills, and the snow started ...

Sometimes it's worth setting out into a storm -- an hour in, when I entered one of my favorite forests, the snow paused and the sun pierced the recently covered canopy.

The beauty of trail running and inventing your route on the fly -- I discovered a hidden lake right at sunset.

In other pre-race news, my long-awaited Nuun shipment arrived and we finally got my shoes correctly sewn to handle the sand gaiters. This was a huge relief and hopefully the last stressful pre-race experience -- knock on wood! Now all that's left is making the final choices for what goes into my race pack. My only luxury items are my iPod Nano and an ultra-light solar charger. I'm tempted to sacrifice them both for the weight savings, but music can be such a powerful motivator that I think the tunes could prove very helpful when the going gets tough. Maybe I'll just take the iPod instead of the anti-venom pump -- would much rather listen to Mahler's Fifth Symphony or some hot jazz in the moments after a scorpion string than fuss about with an anti-venom pump! Maybe I should give this one some further thought -- for some reason, the anti-venom pump is listed as mandatory equipment. Perhaps it's best used in conjunction with the iPod.

I have just two runs and one gym session to complete before I hop a train to Geneva, flight to Casablanca, and flight to Ouarzazate on Wednesday. I'll also be logging more time in the sauna -- an experience that bores me to tears, but that I trust is introducing my body to the heat-inspired fun it will have to endure ... I mean get to enjoy ... soon. I've also begun to regularly apologize to my feet for what is about to happen to them - I think they're pretty clueless about the gravity of their upcoming mission.

I wanted to close today's post by offering my heartfelt gratitude to you for your great words of encouragement during the past months. You have no idea how inspiring and helpful your notes are to me — when it’s cold, dark, and rainy/snowy and I’m running alone, I draw on your energy and thoughtfulness. I'm also very appreciative of your quick support of the ING Chances for Children/UNICEF fundraising project. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much.

My next posting will include details on receiving race updates and even sending messages to me in the desert.

All the best from Easter morning in Zürich,
Jeff

Charity Announcement

I've been working the past few months with ING Chances for Children and UNICEF to dedicate my run to the support of a great cause.
ING Chances for Children is a corporate partnership program with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that aims to give 120,000 children access to education in 2008. According to UNICEF, more than 115 million children in the world do not have access to education. This program advocates quality basic education for all children — girls and boys — with an emphasis on gender equality and eliminating disparities of all kinds.

ING Chances for Children sponsors three UNICEF projects in Brazil, India and Ethiopia. On average, it costs 30 Euros/45 USD to send a child to school for a year.

Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders

By supporting educational programs, ING Chances for Children aims to empower children worldwide to discover their own potential and enable them to build a better future for themselves and for society.

Education: Every Child’s Right

Education is power. It strengthens families, communities and nations in more ways than one. From a community perspective, education fosters peace, tolerance and social progress. In economical terms, it is one of the most powerful tools for reducing poverty and laying the basis for sustained economic growth. Education is paramount in constructing democratic societies and building dynamic, globally competitive economies. For families, education entails a better life as it provides individuals with the means to generate an income.

Beyond all these reasons, education is the foundation of a rich life. Without it, individuals, families and communities become slaves to their illiteracy, which serves to perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

For more information on the program please click the icon below.

I'd love any support that you can offer to this cause and in turn, to these wonderful and deserving children. If you would like to make a donation, please visit my online donations site.


With kind regards,
Jeff