Acclimate your mind and the rest will follow

I had a wonderful day in Brazil. Nothing excites me more or calms my nerves better than getting creative behind my camera and making pictures. I was able to do that today and it was an incredible stress relief. Back in the day when I first fell in love with making pictures, my wife would call it my shield. I would hide behind it when I was bored, nervous or shy. Today, it was a shield for all three feelings and it worked beautifully. With such wonderful new friends here in Brazil I know I can relax and be myself but the bottom

line is wow … it’s intimidating being here. Listening to some of the stories of these runners is simply awe-inspiring. It’s a glimpse into what every person can accomplish with the right attitude. I am honored to have the opportunity to photograph them. I am humbled to run with them and call them friends. Listening to them talk about why they run for days on end and getting a glimpse into what makes them tick is a real treat. It reminds me of my many friends who I met photographing the MMT 100 and the Grindstone 100 and who got
my mind racing about my own dreams and self made limitations. Ok … so here is an example that I find just simply mind blowing. There are three runners here, probably more I will meet tomorrow, that are not only running the Brazil 135 Mile Ultra Marathon on Saturday but are also running the Arrowhead 135 Mile Ultra Marathon in Minnesota in –38F temperatures FIVE DAYS LATER. I am finally wrapping my brain around the fact that hey, yo, hello, I am here in Brazil and in two days I will be running 135 miles up bigger mountains than I probably have ever seen in heat and horrendous humidity and non-stop rain. They are doing that then going to the other extreme and running 135 miles in –38 temperatures five days later with jet lag. Did I mention they, among others here, are also Badwater 135 Mile finishers?  Have you heard of that race? It’s 135 miles in Death Valley California in temperatures that can reach 130 degrees. It’s so hot your shoes melt to the road. The beauty of it all, to me anyway, is that each and every one of these people are special yes, but also just like you and me. They have day jobs when not out doing what the rest of the world cannot comprehend. They have just realized that they do not have any limits except for the ones we make for ourselves. Anything is possible if you have the courage to try. Anything can be done if you are willing to endure. Who knows? You may just enjoy yourself along the way. I saw a tattoo tonight on a runner’s leg of stars that make a southern cross. It can be seen here in Brazil if you are lucky enough to catch a night without rain this time of year. The first night this runner didn’t see it because it rained all night. So he ran, and ran all day and then saw it while running into the second night of the race. Something about that story moves me. It inspires me. Seeing those stars moved him so deeply he tattooed the memory on his body forever. I can picture him exhausted, but looking up at that cross made of stars and being totally content. Happy. Possibly happier than he has ever been. That’s a moment and I want it as my own.

I have feared this race from the moment I was accepted to run. My hands were shaking and I had tears in my eyes as I loaded my bags into the car that would take me to the airport. I felt nauseous on the plane coming here. I questioned myself endlessly. What makes you think you can do something like this? Well, I’m here in Brazil two days from beginning the journey and the questions are over. I have the answers. Because God loves hanging with me when I run. And because I can.