Day 3
“It’s a new day.” I said to myself as I headed up a hill into the darkness. I had run 91 miles the first day and only 60 miles the second day. I was well behind my planned mileage. This was a moment for me to really lean into what my strength bracelets represent: positivity & problem solving.
I also knew that my crew was tired. They hadn’t slept well & the night before had been stressful for all of us, but especially Caleb, who had done most of the talking to the customs officer.
This felt like a pivotal moment in the race. How were we going to respond and regroup? I felt responsible for setting the energy and tone for day 3. I formulated my plan as the sun rose & prepared to tell my crew at the next stop: I was going to aim to complete 80 miles, a tall order considering that I was over 150 miles into the race. The key was fast stops, smart eating, & constant forward progress.
I arrived at the truck, fully reorganized by Claire, & shared my plan. The crew was READY & seemed excited to take on the 80 mile challenge. They are perfect. I love them so much.
Caleb hopped on the bike (after recording some silly videos that never got posted until now). My legs felt great but my shoulder was hurting from carrying a pack. We ran/biked along, cheered on by the occasional honks of truck drivers. To pass the time, we sang random songs as loud as we could (our rendition of ‘goodbye earl’ will be released as a single soon).
As the day progressed, it got HOT. Claire & Caleb took turns on the bike. We shortened the distance I was running so that I could soak my clothes in water more often. The singing continued. Running for hours in the desert is weird, y’all.
I wanted to know how everyone else was doing so I sent some voice notes and even got to FaceTime with Rob, who was crushing the race.
What happened next was one of the more surprising parts of the race: we found a restaurant (in the middle of absolutely nowhere), had the most delicious food, & a great nap at the peak heat of the day. While at lunch, I got a voice note of encouragement from Nicki that made me weep (although the chicken might have also caused me to shed a tear).
The afternoon was filled with some quality running, incredible dust storms, & time with my crew on the bike. Claire even fashioned her own bike seat cushion to make riding more comfortable.
At some point, Andrew found us again. He caught me eating lots of oreos, moving quickly through stops, and running well. There were crazy dust storms happening & the landscape continued to look like Mars.
We also saw a few teams of relay runners driving from Calama to the startline: they honked and cheered us on, a few stopping to wish us well. Everytime that happened, I got a huge boost of energy; why do I choose to run these solo races when seeing people makes such a difference to me?
At some point this afternoon, Caleb told me the half plot of the TV series, “Lesson in Chemistry” in great detail. I have no idea if what he told me is actually true or accurate but the time flew by.
Just before sunset, we got to a truck stop where we’d turn onto route 24, which would take us to Calama. I stopped for dinner and a brief rest, about 200 miles in.
I felt tired but really proud. The day had been productive - we had ridden the waves that come in ultras & weathered our tough moments from Tuesday.
I also felt so much love from my crew. They had pushed through exhaustion, shared tons of miles on the bike with me, & kept me safe. We were about to go into our third night & they were ready to keep pushing. I knew it was all an act of love; we’ve all known each other for a decade & are each other’s chosen family but this experience really put their love for me on display.
After dinner, Caleb put on his headlamp & reflective vest to join me for the start of 40 miles of climbing. Claire continued to drive, leapfrogging ahead of us to make sure we had snacks and water as the night wore on. I didn’t quite get to 80 miles (more like 70) but the day had been a massive success & a great reminder that not all achievements are measured in miles.
When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.
-Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
