It has been 5 years since I first set foot in Scotland. And I have spent probably the first three years suffering from hypothermia. A bit of a shock to the system after spending more than a decade on the Southern Hemisphere, and the 3 years leading up to moving back to Europe in Sydney, Australia. I have very much resented Scotland for its climate. Mostly because I have blamed it for my body falling apart. Only recently have I started to embrace the extreme conditions, turning even the most local rides (I live only 20min from Edinburgh) in some of the most epic adventures.
In my first year in Scotland it was a bit lost on me why Michael would head for the hills despite what the weather forecasts had to say. He would be out all weekend in conditions which I thought were pointless, zero visibility and sideway hail storms. And on his return every radiator in our house would be occupied with drying gear.
Although my races have always been adventurous in nature, my training was very much focussed on heart rate zones, power out put and pace. I would find it incredibly frustrating when I could not execute my intervals to perfection due to bad road surfaces or weather conditions.
And where events such as the Yak Attack have always been on my bucket list, there were always more important races and championships to chase. But then injury struck and I was forced to change my mindset. I wasn't someone who would just do races to complete them but at the same time I couldn't quite let go of racing all together. So I ended up shifting to events which needed a certain amount of resilience to get over the finish line. Generally based in amazing adventurous beautiful settings.
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| Michael on top of a Munro in crazy windy conditions |
The interesting thing was that this shift in mentality also made me see Scotland in a different light. And where in previous years I would have opted for the warm comfort of my turbo trainer, instead I would head out, in the cold, the wet, the dark, satisfying my mind with Scotlands incredible beauty. Teaching me that there really was no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. I quite like suffering, athletes will know what I am talking about, the lactic hurt box. But since high intensity sessions had become my enemy I found the answer to my sadomasochistics habits was overcoming the extreme elements of nature. And what better place than Scotland to prepare for such events!
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| Getting out in the snow |
Crazy to think that injury has led me to racing such a tough race as the Yak Attack. 3 out of the 5 days of racing will be above 3000m altitude with the crossing of the highest pass in the world; Thorong La at 5416m altitude being the icing of the cake. It has been a big dream of mine to go to Nepal since I was little. The love for mountains runs through my veins with my uncle being the expedition leader for the first Dutch expedition to Mt Everest back in 1982. Where he nearly lost his live in an avalanche at 7500m height. An incredible story of resilience and one that makes me proud to be his niece. I remember staring at the pictures in my grandparents house as a little kid. My uncle climbing the highest peaks in the world. And although I wont be climbing them, the thought of being in the proximity of these incredible mountains is like a dream come true. The thought of it causing a feeling of contentment I can't quite explain.
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| My uncle Eelco and I; he might have climbed the top of the world but I took him to his first Munro |
4 days to go before I leave for Kathmandu. And I am not taking this lightly. Having read almost every blog there is to read on the Yak Attack and having studied the different stages to the smallest details, I feel more prepared than I usually am for a race. It has not been an easy year, and this trip is not going to be an easy one. Where the feeling of anxiety and excitement are barely separated from each other. But this one is for Nepalese champion Narayan who lost his life in Sri Lanka and for the many other people who are not here to live their dreams. And I will soak up every minute, every second, every moment of this incredible adventure I am so blessed to be able to experience.
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| In any weather condition Scotland is like chicken soup for the soul |
"You are off to great places, today is your day, your mountain is waiting so get on your way"Dr Seuss