Deca Triathlon and Travel Warnings

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine (Dr George Wortley) posted this on his face book page:

“Will be leaving early in the AM for Mexico and the Tarahumara Indians. David Horton is going with me. It is getting increasingly difficult to find helpers to go with me due to the Drug Wars. Why would 49 decapitated bodies in the road discourage anyone.”

It reminded me that Mexico, the location of the Deca Triathlon is anything but a safe place.  Sure many of the murders are those involved in the drug wars, but it is so very easy for innocent bystanders to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Since then I have been spending a significant amount of time deciding if the risk of going to do the Deca Triathlon is worth the risk! 

George has visited Copper Canyon and the Tarahumara Indians many times over many many years, starting well before the Born to Run craze of the last few years.  He is an incredibly kind hearted man that treks many miles to take not only food but also his incredible medical skills to see to their ailments as it is the only time they are able to see a doctor.  I know that George and ultra distance legend David will bring a lot of good to these communities.  And for them, because of their good hearts, the risk that they face traveling through remote and not so remote regions is far out weighed by the good that they will do.

But for those of us heading to Mexico for ourselves, and our own goals, is it worth it?  In reality the chances of being caught up in the drug wars is slim, Jorge the race director puts on a great race, he picks athletes up from the airport, the race is in a family park where we will be for the majority of the time, but that’s not to say that by some unlucky random chance, some group won’t decided to make a statement with a bunch of international crazies riding and running around a park for days on end. 

The logistics of organizing myself to get to the Deca Triathlon are hard enough as it is, I have already put my heart and sole into training and organizing.  My bike maker Rob English has taken the time in his busy schedule to whip me up a new bike.  It would be terrible to call off this epic mission, as it is very much part of who I am now.  The thought of just doing the Deca is immense and the commitment to pay up the entry fee a big one…..it’s hard enough without the worry of what might happen outside of the actual racing.  Yesterday I spent much to the 7 hours on my bike pondering such factors….the conclusion that I came to was…if the Deca Triathlon was in a location without travel warnings, I would now enter in a heartbeat – and the only thing stopping me now is the worry of those drug cartels in a country that I am unfamiliar with and don’t speak the language.

What to do?  Would going and racing this race be selfish?  It’s not only my safety at stake but also that of my support crew.  Or are these travel warnings over dramatizing the danger to Joe average innocent public?  

Or is this just another challenge to an already epic goal?  

Sri Chinmoy 50 mile (80.4km) Race report

  Achieving self transcendence through running!

The Sri Chinmoy marathon team web site says “Sri Chinmoy, founder of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, spent his life vividly demonstrating how sports can be a powerful means to unlock the true potential of the human spirit”

While many will laugh at the mention of seeking self transcendence, since signing up for this race I have spent many of my training hours thinking about it – and it turns out that I need to add “seeking self transcendence” to the list of reasons why I undertake ultra-distance racing.

My running has been a mixed bag the last couple of months – and that’s really how the Sri Chinmoy 50 miler turned out as well.  Tightness in my calf muscles has been plaguing me for the last 6 months, some days it’s better, some days it’s worse.  This has added an extra challenge in training and racing – the thought of running 80km with legs that don’t want to work worried me in the week before the race, even though this was to be more training than racing.  Two km loops in Hagley Park, excellent DecaTriathlon training! It also proved to be a good chance to do a lot of thinking about self transcendence.

The race started out in enough light that headlamps were not necessary, but even before the first of 40 loops my calf muscles began talking to me.  But 4km in they were fully tightened and causing pain……I was running a pleasing pace, with a nicely relaxed heart rate, but those legs, maybe they would loosen up a little once I was properly warm.  So I kept running.  The weather forecast had promised a nice, although cool day, and it started out perfectly.  But as Hagley park filled up with joggers, cyclists, families out for a walk, the weather did it’s upmost to drive as many of them home as possible, a dreary day with an ever strengthening cold wind followed.  The first 30km passed very quickly, I felt good, I enjoyed watching all the other park users, and other than my legs I felt great.  Heck, I thought to myself, all this training is really paying off well.  Even up to the marathon distance it seemed too easy (inspite of those legs), I began to contemplate what sort of time I could run just a marathon in these days??? 

Going around for another loop!

Then BANG all of a sudden at 42km my body started to rebel and I started to slide into a dark place. I started to feel terrible physiologically. A few laps later my first experience of gastrointestinal distress stared. Fortunately there were two toilets evenly spaced on the 2km circuit….and for a few laps I ran from toilet to toilet.  Thinking about the whole 80km with terrible calf pain and an upset tummy was too much – one lap at a time. Stopping was not an option, but I did question my reasons for doing this for sometime.  On the course there were a number of quotes from Sri Chinmoy about self transcendence, about pushing your self, self motivation, self discipline  - all things that I strive for.  Little by little, I convinced my mind that it was okay to feel the way I did, I began to accept it and not fight it, because I knew that testing myself is an important part of why I undertake these ultra-distance events.  And I took comfort in the loops, I set up little rituals, I had a lamp post where I stretched briefly, a region that I walked a little while the rest of the loop was a walking free zone, I had a zone where I alternatively clenched my fists to help the fluid that was accumulating in my hands move back into the lymphatic system, and I concentrated on …..well….self transcendence, I can’t really think of a better description.

Sometimes you just have to concentrate hard!

All of a sudden, after 25km of hard work, it all came right….well my calf muscles didn’t but somehow it was no longer a struggle, my pace picked up again, I was thoroughly enjoying it again, my stomach had come right and I was keen to finish up those last laps.  On hind site, if I were more religious I would probably say that at that point I had at least touched upon self transcendence.

The last few kms flew by, my great support crew of Nicol and Betty were there cheering me on every lap in spite of the cold wind. I lived with Betty as an undergraduate and she had seen me push myself to the limit academically to ensure top grades, could see that it was the same mental attitude that was needed here as was needed 20 years ago with my books. The lady who was counting my laps cheered for me with a wave and smile every single loop, it was like I had my own little cheerleading team – who wouldn’t love loops when you get this much support! 

And soon, with calf muscles that still feel many centimeters too short I had finished running 80.4km in little circles.  With just a little group to welcome me into the finish line, I was thrilled to have not only completely another good long training day, but happy to have reminded myself that when the going gets tough, you just have to get into a state of mind over matter, and the harder it is, the greater the feeling at the end will be.

Totally worth it!

Maybe Sri Chinmoy is right about self transcendence, that that is when the true peace, joy and satisfaction of ultra-distance racing is felt. Or perhaps as people we each need some activity that provides us with a state of mind where we can meditate to reset our brains.

Self Transcendence