and, therefore, how massive an accomplishment it is
to persevere and finish the race. So I'm not afraid to
admit that, late in the afternoon on day six–and not
for the first time that week–I slumped in my saddle and
cried. For about five minutes. That was all I needed. By
the time we reached station 22, about 10 minutes shy
of 8 p.m., I'd decided to stay positive and stop fighting
my body. I told my group I would set off with them in
the morning, but if my pain was still as severe, I would
slow down and they should head on without me.
A funny thing happened the next morning. The pain
was still there (as it still was at the time of writing this
a month after the finish), but it had subsided to a man-
ageable level. I believe that keeping a positive atti-
tude and deciding to not fight my body had caused my
mind to communicate to my body to go on. "Your body
can withstand almost anything; it's your mind you have
to convince," the saying goes, and seeing this play out
was an incredible experience and something for which
I'm so grateful.
