Annecy: The Interlude
There wasn’t much else to my time in Annecy besides sleep, enjoying the sunshine and heat, and trying to keep myself busy enough to not feel too lonely. It felt a bit like I was in limbo, the athlete in me not wanting to exhaust myself but the adventurer in me really wanting to explore the surroundings.
Race Report: Dolomyths Skyrace
For me, Dolomyths Run was all about pushing my limits and running a race I was proud of. After the race I had for Marathon Du Mont Blanc, I had my mind set on forgetting all kinds of race plan, going hard from the start, and just seeing where that got me. The blessing of the struggles I had experienced so far on the trip was that this time around, I really was able to forget about everyone around me and what anyone else would think. I was there to give my best, no matter what that looked like, and if I crossed the line knowing I had done that then I really didn’t care about anything else.
Canazei: The Middle
I started to find my usual self again, the self that wasn’t overwhelmed by the challenges of the race but excited by them. The me that would push hard in my runs and sessions out of determination, not fear. The me that still has a little voice telling me I’m not good enough, but refuses to listen and has a much bigger voice fighting back.
Race Report: Marathon du Mont Blanc
I turned the rest of the race into a game. As with any pain, the less you mentally focus on it the less it screams, so I focused on the person in front of me and would try to challenge myself to catch them in a certain number of minutes. There were no females around, I hadn’t been passed by or seen anyone in around 2 hours by this stage, but there were men near me that became my targets.