#dreamsbeyondreality

Cairo is #Cairo. A place devoid of analog. The fallen #Pharaonic empire reduced to the wreckage left by grave robbers and common conmen. Each day, the sun pushes through the sandy haze of morning, almost as if in direct opposition to a world that resists it. Cairo is grit and blind determination. A hot, percolating cauldron randomly releasing ‘horns’ and ‘shouts’ and ‘special offers’ as it stews day after day. And yet life moves forward, griping tightly to the same #Northstar dreams that guided dreamers 2000 years before Christ. The same inextinguishable ember of hope burns, smoldering and igniting the #dreamsBeyondReality. The streets move like sand caught in a gentle breeze; undulating between the cracks and caverns that sprawl across the city. Tomorrow will be better than today. The next better than the last. Hope and determination set the backdrop of a city struggling to return to greatness. (at The Great Pyramids Of Egypt) https://www.instagram.com/dreamsbeyondreality/p/BuZm8DmBw12/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1q4qczfn9za6x

Sometimes, the best places are at the top of a ladder and above a 5000 ft ascent. @run_like_hell and i found one of those places. #Sofia #Bulgaria #MtVitosha #dreamsbeyondreality https://www.instagram.com/p/BowthZEgv-g/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=g4tzfqgg5pz0

Sometimes, when you keep climbing, you’ll end up somewhere beyond your #dreamsBeyondReality Getting in an end of the season #MtVitosha summit with @run_like_hell https://www.instagram.com/p/BouLgKSg1tl/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15n2m0k7ddn07

Breathe Many times, it is the most basic functions that a separate a goal from an attempt. Remaining positive. Being patient. Remembering to breathe. Over the next several weeks, I plan to release some of the useful training ideas that helped me to finish #LaUltra 333km. For all of you 2018 hopefuls, I hope that in some small way, they help you to finish the race. Tip: As you are training for LaUltra, remember that the race is a test of your patience and self governance. Most important of which is your ability to govern your breathing. At altitude, the available oxygen will be around 40% of what you are used to. Fuck the technology. Pay attention to your breathing. Keep your respiratory rate comfortable at all times. If you find yourself gasping for air, slow down. If you are on an incline, interval. The most important thing that you can do is to keep your breathing steady and comfortable. Especially in the beginning when you fell like running much faster. As you train, practice increasing your pace until your breathing becomes heavy. Then, scale back to return your breath to a comfortable respiratory rate. #dreamsBeyondReality (at Larnaca, Cyprus)

The sun betrayed the cool breeze blowing against us as we made our way along the beach in southern #Cyprus. In the distance, clouds resembling dark mushrooms moved slowly across the ocean. The large funnel that connected the water and the sky was either pouring or pulling water; floating like invading alien aircraft, circling and destroying whatever stood in their path. When we first arrived, these clouds clustered together, far offshore. But as we hurried our way across the beachfront and corral, we must have disturbed their busied work. One of the clouds began to make its way toward us - separating itself from the others - abandoning whatever it was doing before. When the cloud caught up, it cast a dark shadow upon us and the sun rescinded it’s warmth. The cool winds came in unopposed, cooling our exposed skin to numbed, whitened flesh. To keep warm, we needed to run faster. Fast enough to outpace the cloud and return to unobstructed sunshine. As Cassandra and I gained ground, the cloud gained pace. Each ray of sunshine came at the cost of increased effort. When we got back to the car, our muscles burned. Our breath was heavy and labored. The cloud receded back into the backdrop of the ocean. It’s work for the day was done. In the wind we heard faintly yet clearly “Hope to train with you again, really soon.” Training in Cyprus strengthens to soul. It is as if the island becomes part of you. Becomes something extra when all else has been depleted. The #dreamsBeyondReality (at Ayia Napa 2018)

Sometimes, the only way to solve a big problem. I mean, the really, really big, uncertain, out-of-control, ostensibly never-ending problems that blind us with passion and temper and torment is with a nice, big hug. Stuck in a repeat-loop of frustration? Try to hug your out of the issue. Even if it doesn’t work, a world filled with hugs is a pretty awesome place to live. Be good. Live the #dreamsBeyondReality (at Thessaloníki)

Goosebumps Wind thrusts across the valleys and high plains and low plains in #iceland without warning. When the wind picks up, the temperature drops and in minutes summons its Arctic chill. Summer becomes winter as the wind whisks away the warm air so laboriously created by the Sun. Each moment is remarkable and generally unpredictable, except to those that expect the exceptional. And the ground, like skin, chills and goosebumps against the change showing pockets of grass that spot the landscape. When the sun is strong and the wind moves slowly like warm breath moves across a sleeping child's lips; make your way into the mountains and unto the water and into the valleys while you are able because the wind is always changing. Seize your moment; live your #dreamsBeyondReality #Þingvellir #chasingSummer (at Pingvellir)

It is amazing to think of the places that a pair of Altras can take you. On a Friday night, in the middle of May, we made our way across the trails leaving Skogar, Iceland. A long trail run through rivers and across glaciers and up rocky winding ridges. The sun, always shining as if stuck at 4 pm, through the afternoon and the evening that followed. Volcanic rocky edges pierced through peat-moss blankets that covered the landscape as far as the eye could see. When foot-pressure was applied, the earth slowly sank in like a playground designed by an over-protective parent. Iceland is a patchwork of clusters of moss and of stone and the remains of volcanic eruptions. Where dirt is found, the ground is soft. Where moss is found, the ground is softer still. When feet wander away from the dirt and the stone, accidentally colliding with ancient green moss; the cold water retained of the icecaps and glaciers flood footwear as the moss transforms into a spongy puddle. A place like no other place. A timeless experience. Like exploring the surface of Mars. We made our way until the cloud-cover permitted no more and we made our way back to the place where we began. Silent. Overwhelmed. Inspired. Finding the #dreamsBeyondReality