By Jo Keppler
Image credit: Mentz Germishuis
No, it’s not the name of an Italian meat-filled pasta but rather the Japanese Shinto practice of ritual purification by washing the entire body. Historically it was the pilgrimage to an icy waterfall where one would stand underneath the cold cascading water to purify the soul. The Western way of looking at it described by Jesse Itzler is “The notion around the Misogiis, you do something so hard one time a year, that has an impact on the other 364 days of the year”, roughly translated as taking on a challenge that radically expands your sense of what’s possible. There are just two rules: you have a fifty-per-cent chance of success at best, and it doesn’t kill you.
This year has certainly taught me a lot about the power of staying present. It started with a great aerobic base, my race calendar was perfectly planned. On the 12th of February, I had intense pain in my abdomen, assuming it was a burst appendix I rushed to the hospital, and after scans and blood tests, the doctor ruled out appendicitis and I had to be rushed to theatre… Long story short, 30cm of my large intestine and appendix was removed – it’s called Cecal Volvulus and is very rare (in humans, not horses). I remember the surgeon telling me how lucky I was to be alive, I casually replied: “Well if I had R1 for every time someone said that to me, I would be rich”. Race plans out the window, corset for 6 weeks and a slow walk. Well, if there was ever a time to practice mindfulness it was now.
I certainly had my ups and downs, one of the lowest moments was going to do the Dodo run in Mauritius, 35km in I couldn’t keep anything down and was severely dehydrated so with 15km left I was in an ambulance on my way down the hill. I went into a very dark place for about 48 hours, questioning everything. “Who do I think I am”, “I am done, I’m a failure”. Luckily, I had the support of loving friends who got me out of my head. I decided to run a local 50km trail run a month later and won, this gave me the confidence to try another race. Next up was the Cape Town Trail marathon where I placed 7th in the ladies and the following day, I did the Cape Town Marathon.
I wanted to finish the year with UTCT 100km, that was the plan up until the 25th of October. My friend Amri messaged me saying: “We (note “WE”) should do the miler”. I messaged my coach Prodigal Khumalo asking for his advice and his response was “What do you have to lose?”.
Sidenote: she did not enter the Miler but she did agree to pace me on condition I ran fast enough so she could get to her hair appointment.
I had a choice to make, do I risk it again? Do I face the possibility of failure or do I take the easier softer route? At the time I was listening to a book called “The Comfort Crises” which spoke about Misogi, to do something so hard that I may have a 50% chance of failure. Well, the timing was impeccable, I call them “God moments” and the answer was simple. Of course, I do the 100 miler.
As soon as it was confirmed I emailed First Ascent and Saucony stating that I had changed my mind about which event I was doing. No questions asked other than “What gear do you need?”. Self-doubt is a lack of confidence regarding oneself and one’s abilities. When someone else believes in you, everything can change - fear becomes courage, anxiety becomes excitement, and you start to dream big.
I felt incredibly strong throughout the race but more than that I felt content, I felt grateful, and I felt a sense of freedom which I hadn’t experienced for a while. Having my husband Dave and my son Leo on the route, by my side gave me the courage to dig deep and made me aware of how special my family is, not to be taken for granted. I finished in 31h59m, 3rd lady and 13th overall. It is something I’m proud of. Something I will look back on when I’m competing or training for other events and think “Well sh*t, at least it’s not that bad.”
It was extremely selfless but also extremely selfish. It was what I needed to free myself from myself if that makes sense and I do believe that we are all capable of doing something difficult but meaningful. It doesn’t have to be an endurance event. It could be as simple as admitting something to someone you love, letting go of something that is causing you pain or praying for the strength to do the right thing
Within you lies a dormant strength, an extraordinary determination awaiting to be unleashed. It’s the quiet fire that ignites in the face of adversity, a courage that whispers “I can”. It’s the unwavering spirit that takes action against the impossible odds, the resoluteness that refuses to yield even when failure looms large. What is stopping you from unlocking this power?
The Gear
I absolutely fell in love with the First Ascent X-Trail Bucket Hat – the colour reminded me of happiness. I always use my First Ascent Sun-Off UPF50 Arm Protectors for the longer runs (which I never took off once), the Apple Running Jacket, First Ascent Corefit 4-inch Shorts (no chafe) and X-Trail Running Tee to name a few.
By Jo Keppler
Image credit: Mentz Germishuis