Satsanga Yoga Retreat - Goa

Oh Satsanga.... How I will miss you soooo much! Waking up every morning at 7am for a 1 hour meditation class followed by drinking Marsala Tea & enjoying mornings with my new Yogi friends really starts a morning right! When I felt like exploring Molly from St. Martin and Ava from Hungray and I would rent scooters and drive to Brahman Yoga Studio for either Vinyasa or Hatha Yoga class... other days Owner Jody would conduct a Vinyasa yoga class for us at Satsanga in a beautiful shala open to the rainforest. I even on one occasion joined a class with a German yoga instructor... I had no idea what he was talking about but it was definitely fun to experience!..Lol. In the evening my new friends and I would either drive a "tuk tuk" or scooter to a great little shack on the beach or enjoy a vegan meal at Satsanga. This place was literally right on the beach! We ate our delicious meals on bed like tables and enjoyed the live music and sunset views.... it was difficult to leave (I found myself there at least 3 nights). Throughout the days I would either go to a local beach while enjoying a coconut on the sand or exploring a local market (I had to come back with some gifts for the Family of course!). The markets are completely overwhelming but it was worth it. I found a couple of hand crafted over throws for my bed... spices (saffron, cinnamon, marsala), jewelry... One day there was a CRAZY storm that left me in my room reading all day. The storm was absolutely in sane! One moment it was sunny... and the next it was down pour raining with very loud thunderstorms. The electricity went out a couple of times and Satsanga actually had a direct hit of lightening! The hit caused the internet to go out.... and thankfully no one was hurt :) My last day in Goa was a very sad day.... I woke up feeling very  heartbroken... I attended a yoga class in the morning and laid out by the pool with my new friends that I had to leave very soon. The taxi picked me up around 3 pm and I had to leave my beautiful Satsanga and friends. This was THE BEST TRIP EVER and I WILL BE BACK.... but for longer :) Good by India... Until next time.. Tear...

Day 5 - 17 Miles Left!!!!

I woke up at 4 AM and was feeling sooooo sore!!!! I knew it was the last day but with the giant blister on my foot, the sore throat and the VERY sore legs, I was ready to finish the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race! After 2 hardboiled eggs, 1 banana and 2 pieces of toast with honey.... I was ready! All of the runners gathered onto a bus which took 1 hour through the town to the starting point. At the blow of the whistle we were off! The first 8 miles were uphill on a windy road through the rain forest. I actually appreciated the uphill because it gave my legs time to repair (or for them to loose feeling!). The remaining 9 miles consisted of rolling hills with partial up hills. I was feeling very tired and I definitely was ready to end this race! I reached the last station and was overjoyed to hear I only had 1.5 miles to go. I began to sprint the remaining mile and was so happy to hear music ahead. School children were playing flutes & drums and everyone in town came to cheer. At last I crossed the finish line! I hugged my new runner friends and continued to cheer for the incoming runners. After everyone was finished we took the bus back to Mirik Lake lodge to get ready for the awards ceremony & supper. The final results came in... I took 1rst USA, 13 place overall and 6th female! I did not win a placement award however I took home the award for "Most Beautiful Smiled Participant!". Lol... It was an AMAZING experience and a trip I'll never forget!

Day 4: 13 Miles

I seriously believe this was the most difficult day yet! I woke up this morning so so SOOOO SORE! My legs are so tight and I have the blister the size of golf ball on the bottom of my foot. The race began at 9 AM, which was very nice however at the blow of the whistle, my legs could not move. My brain was saying, "GO..GO..GO"... but my legs were saying "I don't think so!".  The worst part of the race is that it began downhill. Now that may be easy for some… but trying to run downhill made my legs feel like they were ready to snap in half! After about 20 minutes I could not feel the pain any longer and my competitive spirit was at it again. The road was stunning today. We are in a tropical atmosphere which looks a lot like Costa Rica and there are waterfalls EVERYWHERE! The heat is out and the humid is high. It was a very short day and after 2 hours and 10 minutes I crossed the finish line... 25th Overall. I know... Not my best... but tomorrow is the last day and I'm sure I will have a spur of energy :) This evening we had a cultural entertainment event. All teams & locals joined around the campfire to represent each country by either singing a song or doing a dance. US represented by doing the hokie pokie… Spain sang & danced to The Macarena… The 3 Argentinean men salsa danced while singing a song (Lol)… the Irish girls made a pyramid…. Germans sang a song with a glasses of beer…. And the Austrian made everyone do push ups! After the team members did a performance, the locals sang songs, played music and everyone enjoyed by dancing around the campfire. I guess even I can’t turndown dancing…. Even if my legs are SUPER sore. Lol

Day 3: 33 Miles (Mt. Everest Challenge)

I was feeling really nervous today because I have never run 20 miles in a row (and definitely not an Ultra in between). My legs were feeling extremely sore and I was feeling a bit tired from all of the running. At 6 am the director blew the whistle and we were off to a long day. The course started off as the same direction as the out and back from the yesterday plus 8 more miles. The scenery was gorgeous and after 20 minutes of running my panting slowed down (still at 12,000 ft) and the pain in my legs and blisters began to fade. I was averaging excellent timing and by mile 20 I was feeling very energized (believe it or not). So the most difficult part of the day.... For the remaining 13 miles the course descended 6,000 ft! You would think going down hill would be easy... Well it's actually very difficult. The beginning of the descend was fun. For the first 40 minutes I was running through the rain forest jumping over logs  & small rivers laughing at myself for it being so easy. I stopped eating because I thought I was almost done... Well than the road began to look more like cliffs. I had to literally use my hands and butt to get down some of the trail. On top of that, the trail was going everywhere. I was concentrating so hard on following the red arrows that I almost felt like I was on a wild goose chase! 2 hours later I realized that I had not eaten anything and I could definitely feel it. I forced myself a couple of shot blocks and continued the race. I wanted so badly to just be back in my sleeping bag already! I finally saw one of the journalists taking photos and he assured me that 300 meters were left. FINALLY I crossed the finish line at 6 hours 40 minutes. Yes...that's a long time… however I still finished 15th overall and 5th female. Hewww... That was a crazy one!

Day 2: 20 Miles

Waking up was the most difficult part of the day (Sore & very VERY cold). All runners woke up at 4 AM to watch the AMAZING sunrise! As the sun came up, we had clear views of Mt. Whitney, Katchachunga and Lohtse. Katchachunga is covered in ice so at sunrise the mountain actually glows a lovely pink color. After sunrise, all runners gathered in the hut for breakfast, which included potato, porridge, hard-boiled eggs and toast. After breakfast we began the out and back course of 20 miles. The start of the run was near impossible. Running at 12,000ft left me feeling breathless and the cold was unbearable. As my body began to wake up, I finally got back in tune with my running. This was my favorite race yet because the majority of the race consisted of rolling hills. The scenery was gorgeous and I felt like singing ... Riccooolllaaaa!!!! While I was running through the shaded forest I noticed something black on the ground. As I got closer I realized it was a cobra! Cobras don’t have rattlers so I was so thankful to be cautious of my surroundings. Too afraid to run around it, I called for help and a local kicked it in the bush. I guess that’s one was to get rid of it… Lol.  I was averaging a very good pace and completed at 4 hours and 3 minutes taking 12th place overall and 6th female. After the long run (and lots of stretching) I took a shower, which consisted of a cold bucket of water in the same room as the toilet (hole in the ground). Afterwards I jumped into my sleeping bag and relaxed until dinner. Everyone has been feeling the altitude and everyone is starting to feel a bit tired. I faced some nausea however I did not need a drip, which a couple of runners did unfortunately. After dinner I went straight to bed (7pm) since tomorrow was the Mt. Everest Challenge. 

Greetings From the Himalayans!!!

After 20 hours of traveling and 4 plane rides later, I am finally in the Himalayans! The best part so far?... I would say flying past Mt. Everest! Last night I met a couple of the participants of the 100 Mile Himalayan Stage Race which begins on October 25th. We are currently at 6,000 ft and the altitude has not affected me as much as I thought it would (cross your fingers when I will be running at 12,000 ft come Monday!). After having my first bit of sleep in 2 days, I finally feel fresh and revived this morning. I enjoyed coffee with my new friends followed by breakfast (eggs, toast, baked beans?..Lol). During breakfast we could hear dinner being prepared...a chicken screaming in the kitchen. I think I can officially say that I am now a proud vegetarian... Lol. After breakfast I went on my first run with 2 new friends. We ran past the Lake, monastery, main village and enjoyed views of the peaks from a far off distance. The weather is very tropical and quite humid which I did not expect. I'm really looking forward to meeting all of the runners today as well as maybe visiting the local monastery. Tomorrow we will be traveling to Darjeeling to ride the toy train as well as visit tea huts. Well that's all I got for now... I'm just relaxing before the race begins!!!

DAY 1: 24 Miles

Waking up at 4am, 69 runners from all over the world put on running cloths and jumped in a bus to begin our journey. After a 1 1/2 hour bus ride, we finally arrived in a little town in Mirik, India. All of the locals were in the street cheering for us as well as local musicians. Before the blow of the whistle, each runner was given a white cloth to symbolize "good Luck & safe journey". At roughly 6,000 ft we were off! Boy was I crazy for signing up for this race! Only after running less than 1 mile of the monster hills began. For the remainder of the run, we climbed a total of 10,000ft! Now I usually average 24 miles every Saturday however climbing 10,000 ft in 1 day is a new challenge for me. To ensure I complete before sun down, I forced myself to run any rolling hills as well as speed walk up hills. Throughout the day I made sure to appreciate my surroundings and take pictures of Mt. Kachachunga and Mt. Everest. The Himalayans are absolutely breathe taking and even though today was the most difficult run I have EVER faced, I did have an amazing experience. After 6 hours and 8 minutes later, I came to the finish line. I know that sound like a long time, however I took 16th place overall and 6th female. Woohoo! Not bad for an American :)