Relentless Romero Blogs

I am often asked “what goes through your mind?” before a big race.    Because I get the question so often, and I’m curious about what others think, I thought I’d write a little something and see what the community thinks about before a big race. It’s also perfect timing, because I’m heading into a new type of adventure race this weekend.    I’ll be travelling to Puerto Rico in a couple days to attempt a 180 mile run across the island, with 46,000’ of elevation change in a self-supported race.    I will have 60 hours to complete the distance. FUN!    The first thing that I always think about is how fun the adventure is going to be.    To me, there is not much better than being on your feet running.    Sometimes I’m running to something; sometimes I’m running away from something; and sometimes I’m just running aimlessly.    Experiencing the human spirit and body moving through space and across terrain is an extremely sensual experience to me.    There is an awareness of the

RACE REPORT:   2014 US BLIND MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS (CIM) California International Marathon; Sacramento, California (12/7/2014) One year ago, I never knew this amazing competition even existed.   I found myself Googling “Blind Ultrarunners” one late night, as I wanted to find somebody who I could run with who was also visually challenged.   Not unexpectedly, the results were sparse, but I did find a man named Richard Hunter who was on an ultra-running podcast.   He has Retinitis Pigmentosa like me.   I eventually got in contact with Richard, and that conversation illuminated my life.   Richard told me about his amazing journey as a blind endurance athlete, and his amazing feats competing in IronMan triathlons, Marathons and Ultra-Marathons.  I was so inspired.  Richard also told me about the US Association of Blind Athletes, an amazing non-profit organization in Colorado Springs, Colorado that helps blind people enjoy fulfilling athletic lives.  Richard’s then-current