Intents

I've a TRT race report half constructed and another finish at Headlands Hundred with no report even in mind. As I sit here typing this in Courmayeur, Italy it is difficult to focus any mental energy on these recent accomplishments. My personal life has undergone a voluntary upheaval in the past few months, but even that is being pushed to the background as I prepare myself mentally for the biggest physical challenge of my life. The Tor des Geants begins in less than 3 days.

The brief recap of our trip so far is that we arrived on Saturday, the 3rd and went to Chamonix, France to spend a couple of days before heading here. After checking into our apartment we headed up for a hike on the first part of the course to stay up in a Refugio for two nights. This gave us a taste of the terrain. It is so far beyond any race in the US that it is difficult to fathom. Our 16 mile trek included well over 8000 feet of climbing. If you can imagine that, then imagine that it only represents 8% of the course we will attempt cover beginning on Sunday.

The only thing that may make it even remotely endurable is that the beauty of the Alps is an equal match to their ruggedness.

Here's a very small taste: