Cristal Garrison

Personal Summary

I'm married to an exceptional man; my best friend, AR teammate and coworker, Michael Garrison.

I am also the proud parent of my beautiful daughter KayLeigh, who is a senior at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School and is planning to attend Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL this Fall.

Life is full of obstacles and injury, interspersed with breath taking moments and hearty laughter. Same goes for Adventure Racing it just happens at warp speed.

Cristal Garrison

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Monday, September 28, 2009

It's time to

Get Outdoors!

posted by Cristal at 8:30 AM 0 Comments

Monday, September 21, 2009

Hurts So Good

The little discomforts one deals with a day or two later from pushing yourself in an adventure race are some of the best feelings in the world! Yeah, I sound crazy but it's the truth.

Saturday's 10th Indy AR was a blast! It's kinda sad to see Michael and Debbie hanging up their director hats but they have had a great run and given so many people wonderful experiences and memories to look back on. I hope that whoever takes over the race will stay true to it's spirit.

We had excellent weather and I was really excited to race with Chris and Mark. I had raced with Mark before when I had still been seriously hindered by my foot but had never raced with Chris before.

Mark's navigation through the course was excellent with only a couple of hiccups. Considering it was only like his third race to date he did an amazing job! Chris is a monster! He just keeps going and going, and was one of the best "mules" (that's a compliment) I've raced with. I'm telling you there wasn't much that was going to stop him that day other than the charity event he had to get to. ;)

We didn't get to the last three CP's but I was very happy with our efforts. Mark and Chris seemed pleased too and I am now totally jazzed and ready for the next race!

Bring on the Menehune (Midget) race!


posted by Cristal at 11:58 AM 0 Comments

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Ready to Return

I know... It's been a while since my last post. I have been experiencing life events that provoke some people to have what is called a "crisis" (early-life, mid-life, late-life or otherwise). I have resolved that I will NOT have one (crisis that is) so I am now back to telling you all my thoughts and goings on whether you have missed me or not.

After dealing with a long agonizing recovery from a foot injury, sending my only child off to college (otherwise known as adulthood), and losing a most beloved pet I have decided to get back on the AR wagon. Part of the motivation has been working on the NSAAR course for this year. The most significant reason is the support from my husband, my friends and my family.

The Urban race in August was great fun but in the midst of all of my turmoil. I didn't do my teammates justice nor appropriately write about their prowess. Mark and Rachel were excellent mates who toughed it out to the end. Time flew by as Mark navigated our way through the course and gave us speech lessons to boot. Rachel was a real trooper after Jerry and his zip line/traverse tried to scalp her. She actually recovered her senses enough to make it to the finish. Not just because the first aid was there either, she did it for us (that's what I like to think anyway)! Way to go team! :)

I just signed up for the Indy AR. I really feel that I am getting back on track now, and have talked Mark into racing with me again (no bribing needed). Our third teammate is TBD (that's our team name too - He, he). I hate waiting till the last minute for these sorts of things but that's just how it worked out this time. Huh... a new leaf? Things are ever changing and anything's possible I guess.

BTW - I'm going to Kauai, Hawaii in two days, for a whole week - life is GOOD! As I said earlier no crisis for this lady. I'll possibly post a pic or two while in Hawaii, just to make you all jealous. :)


posted by Cristal at 1:29 PM 1 Comments

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

An Amazing Adventure in Carmel

Well this coming Sunday (July 19) will be my first race since LBL and the whole metatarsal injury. I am really looking forward to it, even if I am not back to running form!

We're going to be racing on the NSAAR team, with the pink tutu's and possibly a helmet camera! Paula will do a great job of pulling my fat butt through the 3 course (I hope the load isn't too much for her, I've put on the poundage since getting injured).

I can't wait cause the competition will be fierce! This race is geared for families so I am expecting all sorts of excitment. I am going to love seeing the munchkins (I KNOW - kids 8-17 wouldn't like being called munchkins!) out there on the course.

Happy days are here again ~ :)


posted by Cristal at 5:18 PM 0 Comments

Friday, July 10, 2009

I wish my blog had audio...

cause I would have the 'Baby Elephant Walk' music playing right now, or at least prior to my arrival at the doctor's office this afternoon. Let's try this doctor thing one more time and maybe I will come out feeling better about my foot injury (instead of feeling more despair). Ok, maybe despair is a poor choice of words - Nope! I think it is perfect. It's all relative right?

Everyone (I guess not everyone, but a lot of people I know) are going to the Midget Adventure Race this weekend in Lafayette, IN. No, they are not midgets, but then again, come to think of it one of the directors may be (not that there is anything wrong with being vertically challenged)... I have alternate plans that day so I won't be spectating. I hope someone comes up with a great race report to read.

I plan to be posting some good news, very soon, about my foot and increased training. If you see another post tonight then it will be good news! If not, don't count on the next post being a family friendly read. :-/

posted by Cristal at 9:52 AM 1 Comments

Monday, June 22, 2009

Something to talk about

I haven't been in the proper spirit lately to do any blogging due to the continued issues with my foot. I thought I would save everyone (the one or two people who actually follow it) the agony of reading all the foul thoughts and words that were on my mind over the weekend. But now I am in a better mood and have something cool to talk about.

Let me quickly go over the foot issue for those of you who are an inquiring mind. I got an MRI on Friday and found out that the stress fracture in my foot hasn't completely healed. Dr. Runkle's office kindly instructed me not to run. It's like they knew I was counting on running at the o-meet on Saturday or something... The sad saga of the miserable metatarsal continues.

As for the something cool to talk about. Anyone with kids should look into the Wellness Camp that Jameson Camp is offering. Jameson Camp is the host venue of this years No Skirts Allowed AR, and other than host great events like NSAAR they are a kids camp, that focuses on giving Indiana kids the opportunities to discover their strengths through outdoor activities and programs.

Wellness Camp is for all children ages 8-12 years old who
are interested in healthy living! This is a six day/five night
camp program that focuses on healthy eating, exercise,
and making positive choices in daily life!

WELLNESS CAMP DATES: July 19—24

For questions please contact Kate at 317.241.2661 or kate@jamesoncamp.org

Check out the Jameson Camp website for other Summer programs and activities too!

posted by Cristal at 4:29 PM 0 Comments

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

PA 24/Old School 2009 (volunteer perspective)

I kind of knew what to expect going into the volunteer job at PA24/Old School this year when Mike said plan on being there for a pretty long time. That got me thinking about what exactly Monty and I could do to make our time, waiting for teams, more comfortable and enjoyable. All it took was an email and Monty was on the job. Monty and I decided to car pool (since Mike was already in Rusk and gas prices have raised) as well as caravan with some friends. We met Rachel at her house and once we diagnosed a terrible oversight with the tire/wheel services she had performed on her car days earlier (the lug nuts holding the wheel on were loose enough for me to remove them with my fingers), we decided to take her with us to Carrie's house. We stuffed and crammed all of our things into Monty and Carrie's cars. It was like playing the video game Tetris but with solid objects that didn't have nice flat sides. The rear view mirror in Monty's car was virtually useless and we looked like the Beverly Hill Billy’s (I just needed a rocking chair tied to the roof). We managed to get all the doors closed and were on the road. After some pit stops and Monty's need to stop by a few of his friends houses (wink, wink), we finally made it to Rusk with a little time to spare before we were needed at our CP. The Old School course started just after 12:01 am and we were able to watch the teams leave. Mike then was kind enough to escort us to our CP; he didn't want Carrie's car stranded and figured we would need help finding the location since there were none of Monty's friends in this neighborhood, just a cemetery (ooh... spooky at 12:30am). Upon arrival we set the foundation for our little oasis; we found a nice flat spot for my tent, set up the table, pulled out the travel grill and Monty proceeded to surround our little area with citronella candles. A fire and camp chairs quickly followed the candles, as did food and spirits (adult beverages not disembodied souls) and we were all set for our first teams to roll through. About one and half hours after our arrival the first team came in to our CP and about twenty hours later the last team left. Wow was it a long haul, but Monty is a great volunteer/partner and we had numerous visitors spend some time congregating with us, above and beyond all the teams we saw. All the teams were having a great time with the exception of a few who were obviously not happy about all the trekking. Double shots, Rockstars, and coffee were the most drank beverages and boy did that grilled chicken sandwich really hit the spot (the hot dogs and cheddar sausages were pretty darn good too)! Overall CP3/4, or CP2/4 if you were on the School course, was nice and ran smoothly. Since Monty and I did such a great job at our first assignment we were moved to the last o-course of the race and set up shop in the shelter. Our trip there took us by the boat take out, to drop off a trailer full of team gear, which was a nice change of scenery. Once we got to Martin State Forest I realized I was pretty happy that we didn't have to move all of our stuff out again, as there were tables, a fire place and electricity in the shelter. After another hotdog and one sacrificed to the race gods (my stick broke!) we settled in for one more night of bleary eyes and scratched up dirty teams looking for some end to their race. Mike stopped by and helped us get a bit of sleep and that was most appreciated! The best thing was being able to leave the last o-course and get a shower! Had I been racing I wouldn’t have noticed the filth until after the race was over. The race wrap up was pretty quick once all the teams arrived and all were fed. Way to go John, Mike, Jerry, James, Paula, Sumitra, Sue, and all those volunteers and team crew's who helped make this years race so great! The weather couldn't have been much better all weekend and I am grateful for that! Thanks to the Elk Ridge Lodge and all the land owners who cooperated with race management, and thanks/congratulations to all the teams who stuck it out and braved the course. It was good times for all!

posted by Cristal at 8:48 AM 0 Comments