If you’ve read or watched anything about Training Camp from other racers, I’ll bet you’re already familiar with the unique washing facilities that we endured during those ten glorious days of blood (apparently L squad is a little clumsy), sweat, and tears. It was a new and unique experience for many of us. Walking into that small wooden building divided into nine stalls by shower curtains and looking down to see a 4 gallon pail and a 2 cup measure didn’t really phase me. It didn’t phase me, that is, until I poured that first 2 cups of cold water over my head!
It was a shock. It was uncomfortable. I wiggled and whimpered and tried to speed the process along so that I could get out of there. And all I could hear God say over and over was: Patience. Wait on me. Be still and know that I am Lord. (If you haven’t caught on by now, I’m not just talking about bucket showers anymore.)
Parts of Training Camp were hard.. way harder than I had anticipated. We were given different sleeping situations, for example, where we ended up having to share various sleeping spaces, or were “stuck in an airport overnight.” While lacking sleep, we remained physically active during the day. Meals were shared and sometimes we didn’t quite feel full afterward. Sunburns were acquired, mosquito bites were swollen, and sweat flowed freely.
As much as we were challenged physically, we were challenged even more spiritually. In only ten days, we were led to a place of real vulnerability. I learned things about myself that I didn’t even realize were there. It wasn’t easy to feel so exposed as layers were peeled back one at a time. It seemed like each day resulted in a fresh set of tears… sometimes I felt just as exhausted emotionally as I was physically.
Here’s the truth about bucket showers: sometimes we have to take our time and really scrub at things to make them clean. As uncomfortable as it can be, it’s totally worth the wait (and believe me, there were some long lines at the girls’ showers). Over time, I even began looking forward to the cool water in anticipation of the better smelling result. Each time I left the shower house, I left feeling like a new person. When I left Training Camp, I left feeling like a new person on the inside, too.
Before I leave you to go about the rest of your day, the last thing I’d like to say about bucket showers is this:
Washing hair by simply pouring a little trickle of water on it is essentially useless. Especially if you have long hair like I do, washing hair is undoubtedly a two-handed job. As such, many of the girls and I would take turns holding the hose for each other outside the shower house so that we could really scrub at our scalps. The result was hair so healthy, it shines. I say this because community is so incredibly important. I couldn’t have gone through what I did at Training Camp without my squad there to walk through it with me. We laughed together, cried together, prayed together, and loved hard on each other. To my squad, my leaders, and all of my supporters and subscribers back home and around the world, I hope you know how grateful I am to have you in my life. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
