In 8 days, I'm going to be running this:
I'd be lying if I said I was feeling completely prepared - though, I have to wonder if anyone ever feels totally ready for an event like this. The Squamish 50k is going to be my first ultramarathon, and first trail race over a half marathon. It is renowned for being a particularly tough course (as evidenced by the 11 hour cutoff time). Living in Squamish has afforded me the advantage of training on these trails; I've covered the entire route in sections and can definitely attest to the toughness, as well as the incredible beauty of the landscape the race runs through. Here are a few snaps from training runs I've done on the course:
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| On the way up the largest climb (Galactic) |
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| On the ridge at the top of Galactic |
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One of many fun (and precarious) log bridges
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| How I'm usually feeling after stressful downhill sections... |
I've never had so much fun training for a race, and am simply looking forward to being out there next Sunday. I've missed about of month of training due to having surgery in June, so am not going into this with any fast expectations in terms of my time, nor am I at all sure how I'm going to feel in the late stages of the race. I need to undergo another surgery later this fall, so this 50k is a perfect goal to have before veering back into the scary and uncertain world of dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis. That is something that I can't control, except for making informed decisions and taking good care of my own well-being. What I can control is my mental approach to this race: every time I start to feel weak, tired, or overwhelmed - which I know will happen regularly throughout - I am going to remind myself that I am lucky to be running (relatively) healthy. Running through the forest, up and over mountains and across creeks is one of my favourite things in the world to do, and I am so grateful to be able to do it.
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