Everything went well; I learned more about what I need to bring/don't need, and whether my knee injury would sustain me (with knee supports, it did). We had a beautiful, and I mean stunning, view on the latter part of our hike. We were stopped in our tracks as we found ourselves facing a lake with picturesque hills in the background. We stood staring until we realized that Mt. Fuji - obscured by some fog but still visible - hovered symmetrically between two of the beautiful hills. The landscape was beautiful enough without Mt. Fuji, but its sudden appearance to our vision - it just killed me. I can't wait to get to that part on the actual hike.

And last weekend, I finished my final hike before the event. Sharla, Jeff, Marian and I intended to hike Checkpoint 7 to Finish... we didn't even make it to 8. Everything was going well until we ran into two guys on the trail; friendly guys, they were, from the UK and the US. We walked together, but somehow despite our 6 brains (and decent ones, I should hope), we ended up astray on a one-hour escapade off the trail. We made it back, but after an hour of walking, we realized that our unfortunate detour would prevent us from reaching Finish before the last bus left. We had no choice but to turn around. Our hike took 10 hours, and all I can say is, "I know for next time." We did, however, manage some beautiful views of the ubiquitous Fuji:

And, I received some retribution for my miseries. After the hike, I entered that sweet, sweet training phase known as "the rest period." For 2-3 weeks before an endurance event, athletes get to ease up on training to rest their muscles and recover from injuries. So what have I been doing two weeks before the event? Taking baths, resting, eating chocolate (is that part of training?) and sleeping in.

It's all part of my rigorous training schedule.

Life's tough.

But now, 5 days before the event, I am start to get a small case of the nerves. My gear is ready and my body is in great shape (my. legs. are. made. of. steel.) But my knee injury (caused by The Accident and aggravated by another fall on my bike) is still a concern. It's technically ok, but walking 30km might bother it a little. 50km might make it stiff. 70km might cause some swelling. And 90km might make me want to saw my leg off. The problem is, I don't know. I've got to fight these little demons. But in the end, I still -know- that I can do this thing. Like Ken said, this is what we're made to do. And, I know that I'm ready. It's almost time to do this thing.

Tonight, we have the final team meeting where we'll tie up all the loose ends. And, we get to talk about how many donations have come in! I promise not to complain about how annoying it was to receive almost 400 yen coins in my donation box at school:

Ok, who's the culprit?

Labels: jessie