It's no Atacama, but that doesn't mean it's easy

From yesterday:

Whoa.

What does it mean if I'm shaking already?

That I'm a sadist? Maybe.

That I'm going to die later today? Probably.

A full session of TRX rocked my face this morning. And the rest of me.

Usually we split boot campers in half and rotate on and off the TRX. We struggle though one exercise, get up, run to another area, do some torturous exercise, and run back for more TRX.

Today was different, though. I spent all morning on the TRX. I did things I'm pretty sure the body isn't supposed to do. I also did a few things that made me feel like a kid on a playground.

When I woke up this morning, I was (am!) sore in place that I'm not usually sore. My shoulders and hips, for example. (dammit, I don't need bigger shoulders!)

I also woke up to this:

Bad ass, no?

And by bad ass, I mean completely and totally nutters.

I saw a TV show that featured the Atacama last week. (I'm a nature junkie!) The Atacama is on the western side of Chile. Yes, right by the Pacific Ocean. So how this is the driest desert on earth is a little beyond me.

A friend of mine runs ultras. (OK. I have a few friends and co-workers that run crazy long distances. I have yet to step up to that crazy train. Anyhoo...) This particular friend put this video on bookface and it got me thinking:

Why do we push ourselves so hard? Why do we constantly feel the need to do more? To be more?

What is it about facing the rawness of nature and the edges of human survival that makes us feel whole? Does it bring us back to the parts of life that are most important? The triumph of human will?

I submit that this is (at least part of) the case.

The issue is that the feeling of "I did it!" doesn't last forever (sad face!), and so we seek out new challenges.

A full session of TRX was an interesting challenge. Not an "I wanna go find a culture as different from

my own as I possibly can and then see how we're the same. Or not" kind of challenge. Nor is it a "Kate versus the weather" or "Kate, you can find a dress, really" kind of challenge. But it was definitely a challenge. Like most sessions of boot camp, I was questioning what I was doing and how long I needed to do it. I was also questioning the mulch (in my pants?! Seriously?!).