Perspective: This return to running needs to be different

I wake up a week after my 45^th birthday and get ready for back surgery.  It was something I had to process for quite a while after being told and accepting that I would never run again.  Running isn’t just a hobby for me, but my outlet and way I check in with myself.  Some people will relate, and some people won’t… and that’s okay.

Just ask my ex-wife, I just won’t shut up about running, running gear, who just won the most obscure race in New Zealand.  There are few things in life that I have felt the connection the way I do with running.  The struggle with the course and myself, the memories on trail, and the best community around make this more than just a sport. 

The time I spend on the trail is when I can quiet my brain and see how my life is going, how I am treating others, and most importantly, how I am treating myself. When I lost the ability to run, I lost my outlet. While I would normally just move to the next sport or activity, my back wouldn’t allow that. This is something that people with severe tears or broken bones feel as well…going stir-crazy.

I started to hike after getting off anti-inflammatory and nerve-blockers that seemed to only cause more inflammation.  I slowly built up my endurance on the trail and at the gym.  One day, I was hiking down this muddy hill and decided it would be way less impact and faster if I fast-stepped down the hill.  I was extremely careful and only went about 50 feet before it flattened out and I started hiking again.  I kept this up for the next few weeks, only running the downs. 

Eventually I started running when I could, knowing my body was starting from ground zero.  I have had amazing, pain-free days.  I’ve also had way more painful days, usually with tight Achilles and calves.  Sometimes I get to go a mile and sometimes I can hike 15 miles with 5 running miles mixed in. This old dude (Albert Einstein) once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” So am I going to do things differently this time?

Not all my decisions, like signing up for races, are sane. I am doing things differently this time though.  I can’t continue to abuse my body and expect that long lasting damage won’t be the result.  I will still push my body and what I am capable of.  I need to be smarter this time though because I’ve used my “Get out of Jail Free” card and might not have another comeback left in me. 

I don’t have the need to finish a race like I did before.  I don’t need the hardware but will totally wear another buckle.  I miss the experience, the training with friends and the suffering.  I get extremely emotional still, watching my old race videos.  It reminds me of the awesome trips I’ve gone on with friend and happened to finish a race while we were there.  The trips to the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Gorge Waterfalls 100k were some of these amazing adventure weekends that helped recharge me.   The drives and delirious conversations in a restaurant are the things that I remember.  While I want to run forever, I NEED to get out into nature. 

I recently volunteered at the Canyons Endurance Runs 100 mile and 100k this past month.  I love helping other runners on their journey and that helped me decide to start an Endurance Race company, Everyday Endurance Races.  I am excited to develop an amazing event and help runners achieve their dreams.  Please check out the race and we would love to have you.  Use code “rwi15” for 15% off at Ultrasignup.  Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams, even if its scary.  You may just surprise yourself. 

Update: after I wrote this, I went for a run to see how I felt.  I ran for 6 miles (well, had to hike the steep ups) but felt amazing and can’t believe I can run again..  I've had two more runs and even saw a bear cub.  Never sell yourself short and always be aware of your surroundings. 

How to Gain an Edge as an Everyday Athlete

Over the years, I’ve learned that you don’t always need to be the fastest person to be competitive. You can sharpen your skills as a runner, and while that might not give you faster splits, it should equate to faster race times and more competitive finishes.  How you ask?

One way is to step up your aid station game by taking inventory about a mile before the aid station.  Check in on how you feel, what you have in your pack, do you need to get a drop bag, are there cutoff times, and what you need to resupply.  That way you can come into the aid station, hand your bottles off and grab some food quickly before taking your bottles back and heading out.  I’ve helped friends save over 10 minutes per aid station stop.   

We can also push ourselves beyond our comfort zones, safely. I’ve never felt accomplished when I’ve taken the easy road.  Those days when I’m covered in dirt, legs scratched up and struggling to get up the stairs after a day of adventuring are when I feel proud of doing some gnarly sh*t.  The days when I push my fear of heights or vertigo on the trails.  I’ll get stuck at a sketchy part of the trail with the Anxiety taking over and tears rolling down my face, but I push on and tell myself, “Hey F*cker, you’ve done this a million times and you haven’t died yet.”  Comedy is my love language.  I take deep breaths and push through.

When I was training for my first 100 in 2018, I wanted to feel what it would be like to run through the night.  I worked a full day, took my kids to their sports before heading up near Auburn to do hill repeats for the next 8.5 hours…alone…in the dark.  I got scared by animals a few times and may have done a bit of sleep walking, but it was perfect. 

A few months later at Rio Del Lago 100 around 3:00 am, I lost the ability to focus my eyes.  I knew it would be okay and used the reflective strip on my pacers shoes to light the way.  There was a problem, I looked for a solution and went with the best option.

If it’s pouring rain with 20 mph wind, I am on some single track (or just on local bike paths if it’s too unsafe Mom).  I take enough gear to be safe and even survive a night out if I needed to.  The Garmin Inreach Mini is a satellite messenger with SOS capabilities. I highly recommend it if you like doing dumb things and have parents that worry.  It also is great to send messages when you don’t have signal. The idea is to know that no matter what happens on race day, you will have walked through worse.

Some days your body is screaming at you to not run, for me it’s my Achilles that send a clear signal.  It’s okay to have a terrible mile and just pull the plug.  You are walking home making a smart decision that will pay dividends on race day.  Just don’t use that as an excuse.

If you are prepared for whatever adventure awaits you, it will be a more enjoyable experience. Think about not only what you need in the short term, but if you are going on longer runs, think of bathroom needs, food needs, and weather.  Have you plotted a route, and do you have a map on your phone?  It really helps to have the race map on your phone (GPX if possible).  I can’t tell you how many times people either miss a turn or ribbons get sabotaged at races.  If you have the map, you can easily see if you’re off course and get back to racing.

I hope that you can incorporate some of these ideas into your training or discuss them with your friends. What works for one person may not work for another so take what you can and leave the rest. Train smart, get to race day healthy, and pursue this sport with the desire to make it fun.

Keeping up with the pack…Is it worth it?

I have always run with stronger runners, from my road days to my years on trail.  I’ve always been taught that training with faster people will help you become faster.  I’ve done this with weightlifting, cycling, and in my professional life.  There are definitely benefits, but what are the risks?  Let me take you down memory lane.  Mine not yours, come on back now 😉.

As someone who always struggled to keep up with friends on group runs, I told everyone that it didn’t bother me, but it did… for quite a while.  Going on a group run and then running it mostly solo, to me it defeated the purpose of going out with friends.  They would wait at splits in the trail, which was kind of them.  It was also necessary as I typically had the keys to the car.  I may not be fast, but it gives me more time to think. 

In 2020, three of my friends got into my van and set out for The Grand Canyon.  We had this awesome idea to do the Rim2Rim2Rim. For those unaware, its roughly 42-50 miles depending on the route and over 10,000 feet of gain. We started the South Rim at roughly 3:00am and ran up to the South Kaibab Trailhead.  From there, we started one of the coolest descents I have ever run.  We descended into the darkness until the most beautiful sunrise peeked above the horizon.  Eventually we crossed the river and started our climb up the North Kaibab Trail to the North Rim, where you turn around for the second half.

 

I was doing great on the way down and kept up with my friends as we weren’t pushing too hard, but at a decent pace.  I had a hard time keeping up with my friends on the climb up and was pushing harder than my body could handle until I started to have heat stroke (the GoPro videos are amazing).  I did what we do and stopped in the shade when I could find some and sat down.  I would drink water and eat before getting up and moving forward, sometimes only 20 feet before needing to sit down again. 

I saw another friend from Southern California on the trail and he really cheered me up. Finally a few miles from the rim, I was feeling good again.  I could see the trailhead, my friends, and about 50 people resting.  Then I could tell everything I consumed on the climb up was going to make a grand reentrance into the world, so I ducked behind the nearest tree. 

I made half the journey that day and had to walk the parking lot like… well, I better not say. Eventually I got a ride for my friend and I from awesome National Parks Contractor who was driving back to the other side for work.  It was the best experience and even though we didn’t meet our original goal, we got a guided tour during the drive.  That is after we stopped pulling over for more visits from my lunch.  We got to a lower elevation, and I felt ready to run again.

The moral of my story is that I pushed way too hard trying to keep up with my friends instead of doing what my body needed.  In that case, I believe if I hiked slower on the way up, the heat stroke and altitude issues would have been minimized.  Run your own race.  Don’t let the voice in your head or your faster friends dictate your race strategy.  This is a pattern that I have seen in my group runs, the voice in my head, and the goals I set. 

I herniated a disk on a separate run where I was trying to keep up with my younger girlfriend.  I felt great pushing down the hill and was near PR pace.  Later that night, I was laying on the floor and could barely move.  Now 15 months post-surgery, I am finally back on the trails.  I don’t know what the future will hold, but I will be doing things smarter, not harder.