Thoughts on the Run

I’m a fairly non-serious guy. There have been very few times that I haven’t been able to laugh at myself. Afterall, I do provide myself with plenty of material. We have no way of knowing how long we’ll be alive or the next time we will see someone, so embrace every moment. Quite often people are heads-down in their phone, planning for the next meeting, or worrying about tomorrow. None of that matters if you don’t enjoy the now. Why continue to plan ahead when you don’t get the reward? There is a certain level of planning that needs to happen, but I find that not stressing about it produces a better end result. Smile a little more and sing a song … laughter and music are universal.

During a running event, if I’m not able to crack a joke or even smile, there is something seriously wrong. One example of me losing that ability was during the Leadville 100 Mile Run at mile 42. In fact, video was captured of the situation. Watching it now is like witnessing an out of body experience. I don’t even know who that guy is, but honestly, I wasn’t me. My calorie/fuel intake was at such a deficit that it is amazing I was walking. Yet, I find joy in a challenge that almost nobody else will get to experience. I continued on for another 10 miles climbing 3,000 feet and descending that 3,000 feet … plus a river crossing. After those 10 miles, I was 30 minutes past cutoff time. 2 days later I decided that I would be signing up again.

I made this joke yesterday:
Running tip: Don’t fall down when running. Unless it gets you down the hill faster. Then call it strategy.

Well there’s a story behind that. My first 50 mile race was Silver Rush 50 in Leadville, Colorado. To say I was tricked into running my first ultramarathon is fairly accurate. Granted, you can’t trick someone into doing something they really don’t mind doing. Showing up at the starting line, it was in my face that this would be a hilly day. The race began at the bottom of a ski slope. At that point, I just kept laughing. It should not have surprised me seeing as the course route came on a topographical map. It starts at 10,000 feet and climbs over 12,000 feet 4 times … over 50 miles. Hmmm … maybe I should look at courses before registering? Nah, take away the fun.

Anyway, cut to the part on falling … I made it to the Mile 18 aid station and was having a good time (yes that is possible). About a mile later the guy in the lead passed me on his way back to town. That made me pretty happy to realize that I was moving along at my expected pace. Around the bend were a few more runners climbing the hill with the look in their eyes asking “am I there yet?” while knowing they had a few hours to go. At mile 20 I found myself cruising down a rocky hill with nobody around. It’s one of those scenes in a movie when the person suddenly finds themselves alone in the woods and you know something bad is about to happen. Halfway down the hill my right foot caught a rock. I didn’t even know I was falling until my face was 8 inches from the ground! I hit the ground with enough force to send my handbottle flying down the hill and small bottles in my belt chasing after it. After laying there a few seconds, I opened my eyes and slowly started checking if I could move my fingers and legs. It felt as though I was upside down (that is how steep the hill was). I rolled over to the side of the trail and began looking for bones sticking out of my body. All good. Now other runners started to show up. Fortunately (or not) nobody was there to witness the fall. I was asked about it the rest of the race. That’s what happens when you wear a white shirt and go for a roll down a hill.

The point is, I fell down not even halfway through an ultramarathon. I got back up and kept going. It happens in life, at work, and in any adventure. You can’t let it get you down or paralyze you. Even if you fall down, you get back up and move forward. Take a moment to understand why you fell down and come up with a solution to avoid it in the future. For me, it was as simple as making sure to lift up my foot 1 more inch.

Solutions don’t have to be complicated to achieving goals.