Icy hot, yoga, and a foam roller.

http://www.bighorntrailrun.com/home.html

3 days and less than 23 hours until the start of the Bighorn Mountain 100 mile foot race. I`m still in Buffalo with a smile. Yesterday i went out with jon (Brian and Becky`s friend who is running to 100) and one of his pacers, mike, to the trail head of the race. The race begins 1 mile down the road and heads up into the mountains through theBEAUTIFUL Tongue River Canyon. We ran about 4 or 5 miles up gaining probably 2000 feet in elevation. I can look forward to just under 4000 feet of climbing in the first 8 miles of the race.

If you know much about my running style, you know i`m going to start off strong so that i can take advantage of every big climb this race has to offer, because it`s the down hills that are going to get me.

I`m glad I`ve had the good fortune to meet these guys, both because they`re great people, and because they are knowledgeable about the course.  Having the opportunity to game plan with them has driven me into the deep dark head space of constant race prep.

This morning, Friend, mentor, college instructor, and inspiration: Pavel Cenkl, took off for the largest running endeavor he has taken on, >170 miles across iceland. His run, which is not just a stunt, is an attempt to raise awareness in athletes like us, to take the high road in building climate resillience in a changing world. Maybe he knows it, maybe he doesn`t, but this act of his was a leading inspiration in my goal of bicycling to my race. I feel that travelling to one`s race in as sustainable a manner possible, is one step in taking that high road.

It`s obviously not an easy thing to do, but that`s why he`s running so far, and that`s why I biked so far. The first two goals of my project were to be inspired and to inspire. The second piece is key in bringing attention to the issues that pavel is seeking to bring attention to. I`m sure that somewhere in his mind, is the goal of inspiring athlete and others alike to be cognizant of the environmental impacts of their choices.

So, as Pavel is out there in the arctic, running across a small country, I`m left here, in Buffalo, Wyoming, trying to determine what role I play in this big puzzle of ours. For me, right now, that role is getting to my race, and making a scene. My role is to share my story, for sadly, I might be the first person to ever bike 2500 to the start line of a 100 mile foot race. And just as my second goal is to inspire, I must dig for the courage to do just that, inspire other athletes to take the high road in the way that they travel ti their races.

With love, encouragement, and the deep penetrating smell of icy hot,
I must take care of my legs.
See you at the start line.
-Lance Parker