Laurie Skalla

A New Woman

By 29029 Everesting

November 25^th, 2019

I don't do things like this

My husband, Marc, roped me into it.

He feels so passionate about this event because it set him on a new path. He met so many wonderful people at the first 29029 in Vermont. He went there not knowing a soul and left with eight lifelong friends. They lift each other up in a unique and special way. And have gone on to do some amazing things together. And so, he wanted me to have my own magical, transformative experience.

I started my training in early June in Telluride, there's a hike that has the similar amount of elevation gain of Stratton, VT. That was our training route, and we started climbing that every day. My heart rate immediately skyrocketed, and the voice in my head started screaming at me. 'F*** this. I don't enjoy this. Why would I do something 17 times, that I don't enjoy doing once?'

I told Marc that I'm dropping out, and I will give my spot to someone who really wants it. He said, "give it 3 weeks, and then see how you feel."

I am not an endurance athlete, and it's not in my background. People like me don't do things like this.

something miraculous

There's something completely different about this event. It's a huge reach and out of my comfort zone. The duration of the event, the terrain, and I don't like doing things through the night.

I remember watching Marc and his friends compete at the Leadville 100 Ultra. I thought I cannot wait for daybreak. There was something so scary about going through the night time. I imagine that is when you have to dig the deepest to get through it when your body is telling you it's time to rest and go to bed.

Many people have told me that there is this miraculous thing that happens out on the mountain at 29029. It's something a little different for each person. For Marc, it was like a switch turned on, and he could keep going, even when it felt impossible. He came back from that weekend a completely changed man.

I fear that I won't have that experience for myself.

______________________

(Editor's note: Laurie and I first spoke in July, as she was beginning her training for 29029. It's fair to say she had some serious apprehensions about what she was undertaking. Many of you reading this can relate. She wasn't sure if it was for her. She didn't consider herself an endurance athlete. She had no idea how she was going to fit in the training. The difference between our first conversation and the one we had following 29029 was extraordinary. Her energy and liveliness were palpable; she was a new woman. When you read these words, recognize yourself in Laurie. Her uncertainty became belief. And yours will too. First, you must commit and then embrace the journey one step at a time, everything else will take care of itself. Enjoy and thanks for reading, Trav)

29029 changed me

It had such a powerful impact on me.

I got everything I wanted out of this experience. I put myself in a position to do something I believed to be impossible and came out the other side a changed person. My goal was to be present to the feelings and emotions that came my way. I wanted to feel pain, I wanted to experience what it was like to hike in the darkness, I wanted to put myself in an uncomfortable position and get through it. I wanted my kids to see that ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they put their mind to it.

I didn't always feel like this, as you have just read. When this journey first begun, I was afraid. I didn't think I had what it takes to get to 29,029 feet. In the months leading up to Vermont, my mindset completely changed; it had to. Things shifted for me when I finally decided to stop fighting the inevitable. I had so many excuses that were holding me back. One day, I woke up and said to myself, 'you're doing this, so you better treat it like it's the most important thing in your life.' As a mom and a woman, it's easy to feel like you have the entire world on your shoulders. To commit to the training without feeling guilty, was hard. So I made a conscious decision to be a positive role model for my kids, I wanted to do the work and not complain about it. I wanted them to be proud of me, and I wanted to show them the energy and excitement I had throughout the whole experience.

more than I ever thought

I arrived at the mountain feeling confident and prepared to take on whatever came my way. Listening to the speakers on Thursday night before the event helped. It prepared me for where my mind would go throughout the weekend and gave me tools to deal with things that I couldn't predict.

As confident as I felt, the first couple of laps were not a piece of cake at all. I felt myself slipping back into my old ways and self doubt welling up again. Then, at some point, it was like my brain kicked into gear. I realized 'okay, you aren't going to let me stop, so I'm going to quit fighting you.' And in those moments, I thought, I can do whatever I put my mind to, and I can get over this discomfort. I knew that being cold and hungry and all the fatigue I was feeling, it goes away in seconds once I get on the gondola.

I realized that we are all too comfortable in our daily lives, and we need to experience discomfort to realize how much more we have to give. When I started this, I liked certainty. I liked knowing that I could dive into the pool, and it would be 70 degrees each and every time. I said, "getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is not my M.O." It's crazy how much 'stuff' I've let go of. I've stopped trying to control the uncontrollable. I now catch myself doing that and make the decision to get out of my own way. Instead of running away from things that make me uncomfortable, I run toward them. I realize I can push through and do a lot more than I ever thought I could.

real pain

I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to feel real pain. I wanted to be able to get past it and overcome my fear of pain. I am not sure if I willed it on myself, but I definitely got what I asked for. After lap 7, my hip flexors locked up, it was the most intense pain I have ever felt. At points, I wasn't sure I could take another step.

As night approached, Marc walked beside me for a few steps and asked me how I was doing. My response was, "I'm not well." The pain was overwhelming. I was trying so hard to not give pain a voice, but I cracked. He looked me in the eye and said, "Laurie, your body is stronger than you think it is, and it can get you up this mountain." As he walked off, I thought, 'well, that's not very helpful.' After a moment, I decided to tap into my meditation and mindfulness practice. I created a mantra out of what Marc said to me. My mantra became "my legs are strong, my body is strong, and they will carry me up this mountain." For hours that played in my head, and I didn't focus on anything else.

I have this vivid memory on one of my night hikes. I turned around to look back down the mountain, partly to see where I'd come from and partly to take in the experience. I turned around, and I saw 10 or 15 headlamps. There was a trail of them behind me. It looked like a freaking war zone. The mountain, the cold, everything about it felt like I was in a battle. I don't know if it was the night light or the way my body and my mind felt. I felt defeated, but I never said to myself, I'm not gonna make it. I decided at that moment, 17 hikes were in my sights. I was going to get there even if I had to drag my legs up the hill.

a powerful community

That mountain, it's a beast, but I respect it so much, and I know every inch of it, and now I'm connected to Stratton, forever. That f”&*in' hill. I know every blade of grass! There are three distinct sections of that mountain, and everybody knew that leaving the second aid station was a killer. You basically walk into a wall, and you have to climb it. I wanted to love this stretch, so I thought about my kid's favorite place to ski in Telluride. A run called Enchanted Forest. Every time I got to that section, I thought 'I am going to enjoy it, it's the enchanted forest.' The 29029 team thought of everything. They positioned signs along the hike that symbolize how far you have to go. As you get closer, you see these signs that indicate that you're almost to the top. And, most importantly, that you're close to getting a break. It's such a unique event, and they really focus on the participant experience. It's clear to see that it's the most essential element.

29029 is in the top five life events for me. Getting married and having kids, are significant milestones, but they aren't all about you. When you get married, it's about you and your partner. And when you have a baby, it's a moment of absolute bliss, but then you've got to get home and take care of the kid.

This was one of the rare times where it was all about me. Throughout the entire journey, it was all about me. Afterward and during the recovery, it was all about me. As a mom, it was nice to feel like I was the center of my universe for this weekend and walk away feeling like a superhero. After it was all over, I got to soak it in because I didn't have to run back and take care of somebody else.

I made a video for my kids, and I was sobbing and tried to explain to them that they were happy tears. That mommy was so proud of mommy because I did this amazing thing. When I got home a couple of days after the event, I was driving my kids home from school. My oldest daughter said, "Hey mom, how old do you have to be to do 29029?" I said, "I think you have to be 16," she replied, "well when I turn 16, will you go back and do it with me?" I lost it. It meant so much to me that they were watching. How cool is that?

What 29029 does is it bonds people together forever! I came to the event with friends, and our relationship has shifted since the event. The connections are stronger, and we're closer than ever. That doesn't happen at a marathon or a girls' trip away.

I wear my red 29029 finisher hat around the city. I immediately notice when someone has either done the event or knows about it. They either yell out across a parking lot or give me a big smile and point at my hat. It's a powerful community to be a part of and I'm so glad I got roped into it!